


True Love's Kiss

by AidanChase



Category: Percy Jackson and the Olympians - Rick Riordan, The Heroes of Olympus - Rick Riordan
Genre: Beauty and the Beast, Cinderella - Freeform, F/F, F/M, M/M, Sleeping Beauty - Freeform, Snow White - Freeform, The little mermaid - Freeform, fairytale AU, genderbent fairytales but not genderbent characters, rapunzel - Freeform, the boys are the princesses, the girls are the princes
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-11-02
Updated: 2015-12-18
Packaged: 2018-04-29 12:02:03
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 15
Words: 65,974
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5126822
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AidanChase/pseuds/AidanChase
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p><i>A little mermaid fell in love with a human girl, and knew he would sacrifice everything to see her happy.</i><br/>A boy with a curse, that he would die before his sixteenth birthday, meets a girl in the woods and can't help but fall in love.<br/>A young soldier who spends more time cleaning barracks than in actual combat just wants one night off to see the palace and maybe, if he's lucky, catch a glimpse of the princess.</p><p> </p><p>The East and the West have been at peace for a year, after a lengthy and bloody war. The girls must maintain their nations' good relationship if they are to avoid a resurgence of war, even if it means sacrificing their personal freedoms, but a magic beyond their control threatens the fragile peace between their countries.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. The Princesses' Plights

**Author's Note:**

> This was supposed to be 3 short stories. I can't help myself and it became a long and intricate fanfic with plot and villains and everything. Please enjoy~

Annabeth Chase loved the smell of the ocean. She could spend hours sailing or walking the shore. She’d been in the Queen’s Navy since she was old enough to read a map and she had no regrets. Not that she loved warfare, but she loved solving puzzles. She was a strategist, and a good one.

The war against the West had been rough. She’d grown up watching friends and neighbors go off to fight. By the time she was sixteen, she was ready to be a private in the Navy. Within three years she’d advanced to the rank of Captain, and now, after a year of peace between the East and West, she was a Commodore.

She stood on the deck of her ship--one of her ships--and surveyed the horizon. The North Star was directly on her left, where it should be, but she didn’t see Orion on the horizon. The sky was dark in front of her, clouds obscuring the stars she was so familiar with. And the wind was getting stronger. It was directly between her and her home. There was no port to reach. They could not outrun the storm by returning west. They’d have to hold their own out here until the storm passed.

“Tie it all down!” she shouted to her crew. “Yourselves, first!”

As Commodore she was not above the work of her men and women. She made sure, personally, that her crew’s lines were secure. She helped collapse the mainsail. She checked the lifeboats.

By the time the rain started falling, only the necessary crew members were on deck and she was at the helm with her captain, Leo Valdez.

“Some pleasure trip, huh?” he joked with her, shouting to be heard over the high winds.

Pleasure wasn’t the word Annabeth would have used to describe their trip. She’d been trying to negotiate a peace with the West that did not involve marriage. Not that it was her arranged wedding fast approaching, but she was acting on behalf of her best friend, Princess Piper McLean. The talks had not been successful.

She’d even tried to just meet the betrothed prince, just so she could give a report back to the princess about her fiance, but she’d been told the prince would not see anyone until the day of his wedding. That was in three days. So Annabeth chose returned home, her mission a failure.

The wind picked up, and Annabeth’s face was grim as she gripped the railing. She double checked her knots. Thunder rumbled overhead. She looked up to see lightning crack across the sky. She felt blind and deaf for a moment and then another bolt of lightning split her mast in two.

She leapt over the railing to help, but there was nothing to be done. The splintered, smoking mast crashed into her deck, creating a huge gash. Water poured over the side of the ship. She was washed away with the wave, but her line pulled tight around her waist and she managed to stay on board.

The boat tipped in the growing waves. She felt like she was walking on a wall as she tried to get close to her crew. Everyone was shouting at each other, but she could hear nothing over the howling winds and thunder.

Lightning struck again, blasting her backwards. She felt her line snap and she hit the water so hard, all the air rushed out of her lungs. She struggled for the surface but she was dazed, disoriented, and couldn’t find her way up.

Just as her lungs filled with water, she felt powerful hands grab her waist and push her up to the surface.

\--- --- ---

Piper McLean hummed as she braided blue feathers into her unevenly cut hair. She’d won them in a duel against a harpy last week, and she wanted to show off the spoils of her victory. That, and her mother didn’t approve of her fighting, or of her wearing her hair in ways that were not those approved by the court. On a good day, Piper tolerated her mother. This week, Piper was in all out war against her mother in protest of her fast-approaching marriage.

She relished the disapproving glance her mother gave her as she sat down at the breakfast table, blue feathers proudly on display for her parents and the serving staff.

“I trust you won’t be wearing those tomorrow when you set sail for the West. You shouldn’t let your fiance think you’re some wild creature,” the Queen said with pursed lips.

Piper rolled her eyes. “I think it doesn’t matter what I look like when I meet him. We’re marrying whether we like it or not.”

“You will have them removed before your wedding.”

“Who cares what I wear to my wedding? You won’t let me pick my own dress--”

“Dress is not the word I would have used for what you picked.”

“--you won’t let me decide what we eat--”

“A proper feast requires a hunt.”

“--you could at least let me choose how I wear my own hair.”

“You have to present yourself like a lady,” her mother insisted.

Piper made a very unlady-like face.

“Pipes,” her father warned carefully.

Piper set her fork down angrily and stood. “First, you guys get mad when I complain about being engaged to a boy I’ve never met. Then you get mad when I accept the fact that I’m getting married against my wishes. What do you want from me?”

She left the breakfast table in a huff and went down to the stables. She’d ride through along the beach until Annabeth’s ship returned. Maybe, just maybe, Annabeth had been able to work something else out for her.

\--- --- ---

Annabeth coughed up sea water and gasped for air. Her throat burned from the sudden intake and she choked for a moment until her breathing evened itself out. She could feel the hot sun above her and the sand beneath her, clinging to her wet uniform.

Someone was helping her sit up and she looked up to see a young man with stringy blonde hair and a confident smile.

“Are you alright, miss?”

Annabeth coughed up the last of the water in her lungs and looked around. She was washed up on a small stretch of sand beneath some cliffs. She squinted out at the sea, looking for some clue as to how she had survived. The storm had passed as quickly as it had come. The water was still, and clear. But there were rocks along the shore, and there was no way she could have washed up without banging her head against them.

“Did you save me?” she asked warily.

“I work at the lighthouse up there,” he pointed to the top of the cliffs, “and saw you washed up on the shore here. That storm must’ve blown you in. Come on, let me take you up and get you looked at. My name’s Luke.”

“Annabeth,” she answered distractedly, still staring at the ocean. Maybe it was just her imagination, but she thought she saw the flick of a blue tail, that she would have said belonged to a dolphin, but its scales had shimmered in the sunlight.

\--- --- ---

Hazel Levesque looked at all the dresses presented to her and tried very hard to be appreciative, but mostly she was disappointed.

She’d asked her father not to have a ball. She’d asked her father to please reconsider his request for her to marry. But he hadn’t listened. And she sort of understood. She was his last heir. His eldest daughter had died in a war. His only son had been stolen by a witch. It was just Hazel left to carry on his kingdom. She just couldn’t understand why she needed a husband to do it.

“It isn’t that you aren’t capable,” her father had said. “The kingdom simply needs assurance that the royal line is protected.”

“What if I adopt,” she’d said stubbornly.

Her father had sighed, as if that was enough of an answer, and told her he’d send the dress choices up to her room.

She stared at them for a while, even tried three of them on, as hot and uncomfortable as they were, before closing her eyes and choosing one at random.

Hazel had been in love once, and she wasn’t sure she could love again. Sammy had died in the war, long before alliances and treaties had been made. If she was marrying for peace, she could convince herself that she was doing it for Sammy, and honoring his sacrifice. But there were no princes in the east. The only suitable marriage for peace lay with Piper.

Hazel almost wished she had Piper’s problem. Piper had her husband chosen for her. Some prince from Hazel’s kingdom that even Hazel had never even met. Hazel, however, had the privilege of choosing her husband from a sea of gentlemen she would meet in one night.

She imagined she would end up choosing her husband similar to how she’d chosen her dress.

Hazel flopped onto her bed and thought about disappearing. She could do it. She was good with illusions and tricks. Just when she was about to start making herself disappear so she could slip out of her chambers undetected, the air shimmered in front of her. She waved her hand to accept the Iris-message, and was pleased to see Annabeth’s face.

“I’m glad you’re home safe,” Hazel said. “The storm rolled in here early this morning. I was worried about you.”

Annabeth did not look very happy. “I don’t know if the rest of my crew made it, actually. I washed up on shore this morning.”

“Oh!” Hazel covered her mouth with her hands. “Are you alright?”

“I’m fine,” Annabeth assured her. “The boy who operates the lighthouse found me on the beach. He’s been seeing to my injuries.”

Hazel was pretty sure it wasn’t just the rainbow mist--Annabeth was blushing. “Oh, I see,” she said with a knowing smile. “I don’t suppose you’ll be bringing him to mine and Piper’s wedding?”

Annabeth laughed. “Shush, or he’ll hear you. He’s been very kind and generous, and I think I ought to ask him, if only to be polite. I owe him my life.”

But even as Annabeth said it, her grey eyes got distant, like she was thinking about something else. Hazel had known Annabeth long enough to know when Annabeth was working on a puzzle. “You owe him your life, but….” she suggested.

“It’s nothing,” but Annabeth’s voice didn’t sound like it was nothing. “Just that--the shore, I shouldn’t have washed up there. I even checked a chart of the currents. Or, even if the ocean did wash me this way, I should’ve died on the rocks, not landed safely on the sand. It’s like… something carried me.”

“A wave?” Hazel suggested. But she knew little about the sea. Her country didn’t take to the ocean much, and the one time Piper and Annabeth had taken her to sea, she’d gotten violently sick.

Annabeth laughed. “It would have been quite a large wave. I suppose I’m just lucky.” She glanced over her shoulder. “Luke’s just finished making lunch. I’d better go. Thalia’s sending a party to get me tonight. I’ll see you tomorrow, and we’ll prepare yours and Piper’s weddings.”

“Do extend an invitation to him,” Hazel said. She wanted to see her friends that weren’t bound by royal duties happy in love.

“We’ll see,” Annabeth laughed, and waved her hand over the Iris-message.


	2. Banished

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Percy can't live without the love of his life, and Leo Valdez washes up on a beach with a mysterious castle.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know I said updates once a week, but that was when this fic was 3 chapters long, but now it's like 34,000 words and only just at the climax before everything goes wrong, so I'm going to update a little more frequently, because I want it completed by the end of the month, since it's just my NaNoWriMo filler fic. I can't imagine anyone is complaining about that. I find it painfully ironic that my "short" filler fic will end up as long as my original novel. What is this madness.

Percy Jackson waited until he was sure the girl with the grey eyes was safe and taken care of. The boy who had found her on the beach had taken her up to a tower on the cliff. It was on high land, and Percy knew he couldn’t reach it. There was nothing else for him to do so he dove back into the water and returned to his father’s palace.

The salt water stung the scrapes on the sides of his fins as he submerged. He’d gotten scraped up, carrying the girl over the rocks, but he hardly noticed. All he could think about as he swam was the determined look in her grey eyes as she’d stared down the storm.

Percy had surfaced to watch the storm from above the waves. He’d seen the ship and been curious. Humans fascinated him. His mother had been human, but he didn’t remember her very much. Still, he liked to think of her when he watched the humans. Sometimes he wondered if any of the women on the ships he saw were her. But there was no way to know.

As he’d watched this particular ship, he’d seen the girl on deck, and he’d seen the way she commanded her crew, and he had fallen in love. There was nothing for it. Then she’d fallen into the water and Percy had rushed forward to save her. He’d gotten her to land, then the other human had arrived. Percy had hidden behind the rocks and waited until he could see her no more.

But believing she was safe wasn’t enough. He wanted to see her again. 

When he got home, he realized he was exhausted from being out all night, and went to sleep in his chamber immediately. He woke only for dinner, because there was no avoiding his father’s dinners. At least at his father’s dinners, he got to see his brother.

Tyson wasn’t like Percy. Percy had a human’s torso with a blue-scaled fish tail. He had gills for breathing just beneath his jaw and ears curled to hear sonar. Tyson looked more human than Percy, actually, despite not being human at all. He had large trunks for legs, and arms built for working in the forges. His head, though, only had one eye. Tyson was a Cyclops, who made weapons for Poseidon’s armies.

Tyson, also, had been to see the surface a lot more than Percy. He was friends with the horses who rode the waves and he got the privilege of taking care of them. On Percy’s sixteenth birthday, when Percy was finally allowed to visit the surface, Tyson had introduced him to the hippocampi.

Since then, Percy had only gotten more interested in the surface world. Tyson would bring him back things he found along the shores, where Percy wasn’t allowed to go. Tyson could walk on land. Percy could not. Both by nature of his fins and because his father had forbidden him from getting too close to the surface world.

At dinner, Percy took his usual seat next to Tyson and told him excitedly about the girl he’d rescued.

“I wish you could have seen her, Tyson. She looked so brave on the water, even though she must’ve known she couldn’t survive in it,” he said.

“Father would not like that you helped her,” Tyson said slowly and quietly. “You know he hates surface dwellers. And he does not approve of you interacting with them.”

“Tyson, I have to see her again.”

“She might not even stay along the water. What will you do if she goes farther onto the land?”

“I’ll find a river. Something. Anything. You’ve got to know something that will help me find her again. You go on the surface all the time.”

“Only when necessary.” Tyson took a bite of his dinner and frowned. “You said she was wearing a blue coat? With silver edges?”

Percy nodded eagerly.

“The kingdom in the East has a boat-army in their harbor. She’ll probably end up there. But you have to be careful. Boats come in and out, sometimes very fast. You could be crushed.”

“Can you keep Dad busy while I go after her?”

Tyson looked reluctant, but he said, “Promise to take Rainbow. He will keep you safe from boats and humans.”

“Sure,” Percy agreed quickly. He’d agree to anything for the chance to see the girl again.

After dinner, while Tyson talked to their father about some new developments in the forges, Percy slipped away to the surface. Rainbow the hippocampi met him at the surface and took him to the harbor.

Percy was in awe. There were large ships moored just inside a rock wall. There were smaller boats moored at docks closer to the shore. Percy couldn’t imagine trusting something that small to carry you if you couldn’t survive in the water.

Percy ran his hand along the hull of one of the larger ships. “They’re beautiful,” he murmured.

Rainbow snickered disapprovingly.

“Take me closer, please,” Percy urged.

The hippocampi snorted, but obliged.

When they reached the docks, Percy inspected the support beams and smaller boats with wonder. He wove in and out of the posts, marveling at their structure. When he was satisfied with his thorough investigation, Percy found a crook where two beams connected, just below the surface, that would allow him to rest and wait until he saw the girl again. Surely she’d come back here.

“You don’t have to wait with me,” Percy said. “This could take hours.”

Rainbow huffed and disappeared beneath the waves.

\--- --- ---

Leo Valdez woke up on a beach of white sand. He pushed himself up with weary groan and surveyed the ocean. The fine grains clung to his dark skin and he wiped his hands on his jacket. That didn’t make them any cleaner.

His throat was dry. He knew he needed to find water. The ocean lapped at his toes--it was cold, and he realized he was missing one boot. At least he wouldn’t feel bad if he had to boil and eat his other one.

He assumed the shore was facing south. The sun was rising on his left and it was still cool and crisp. He must have been unconscious for the whole night. He looked behind him to get a lay of the land and found a large white castle that stretched along the coast. A large open-air pavilion stood in front of the castle, set to entertain guests, but there were no guests around. There was no one at all.

Leo adjusted his Captain’s jacket and tried to look presentable. He knew he was still covered in sand and wearing one shoe. He figured no shoes was less ridiculous than one shoe, so he tossed the one he had and rolled his breeches above his knees. He kept his coat, torn and dirty as it was. Without it, he’d look like a kid looking for handouts, not a captain in need of a ship home.

Leo realized suddenly that there were no ships in the sea. If anyone lived in this large castle, how did they get off the island?

Leo wasn’t feeling very hopeful as he knocked on the door.

No one answered.

He knocked again, and pushed the door open. He figured if no one lived here, maybe he could at least find shoes, water, and enough furniture to turn into a raft.

The doors opened up into a grand hallway, lined with shattered mirrors. Leo took a minute to look over his fractured reflection and brush off as much of the sand as he could. He left a small pile of the white grains in the entryway, and moved on to inspect a table at the end of the hall that looked like it was made of wood.

It was good, sturdy mahogany. Leo was going to have a hard time breaking it apart to make a raft unless he could find a saw. He also figured he’d need to find a compass, or at least a magnet and needle he could use to make a compass.

His ingenuity and problem-solving skills were the only reason Leo had made any progress in the Navy. He’d joined when his mother died in a fire and figured if he had to enlist, he was going where there was plenty of water.

Leo had no respect for authority, something that would have gotten him in trouble if he’d had any captain besides Annabeth Chase. She didn’t mind when he cracked jokes. Instead, she appreciated having someone who would press her judgement. There were a few times Leo had pushed her boundaries, and he’d learned to be terrified of Annabeth when she was angry. But he’d never crossed those lines unless it was absolutely necessary, and before long he’d become Annabeth’s first mate.

When she became a commodore, she made him a captain. And that’s how it was for a year of peace. That year was Leo’s favorite year ever. No more war, and he got to sail back and forth between the East and the West with Annabeth. He’d gotten to meet Princess Piper, since she often travelled with Annabeth, and had even made friends with her.

It was why he had been so eager to go with Annabeth on this last trip before Piper’s wedding. He wanted to try to help Piper however he could. But there was nothing for it. He’d even volunteered to marry the Princess of the West, and be the arranged marriage for peace. Annabeth had laughed and told him he could at least try to marry the Princess of the West. At the ball for Piper’s wedding, she’d be choosing her husband from those in attendance. Leo had full intentions of winning that princess’s heart.

After a bit of wandering through the castle, Leo found the kitchen and helped himself to some water. There was bread, too. He expected it to be stale and moldy, but it felt soft in his hand and even smelled fresh. He took a bite, since he was starving, and wondered who lived here and where they were.

He washed the loaf of bread down with another glass of water and was about to restart his quest for a saw when he heard something break upstairs.

Leo stepped out of the kitchen and said, “Hello?” but his voice only echoed back to him.

He returned to the grand hallway and started to climb the stairs. “Is anyone here?”

At the top landing, he found a broken vase on the ground and a red poppies strewn in a puddle of water. It was clearly a recent accident.

“I’m not here to hurt you,” Leo tried again. Though how anyone could look at him and think “Threat!” was beyond him. 

“My name’s Captain Leo Valdez. I just wanted some food and water. And if you have a boat that could take me home, that’d be great too.”

Leo heard the sound of footsteps approaching from down the hall.

“Hey, there. Hope you don’t mind I let myself in. I knocked, but--”

Leo stopped when he noticed that there wasn’t anyone approaching him at all. The footsteps that he heard were actually a dustpan and a broom, walking themselves down the hallway. They swept up the broken glass and flowers then started to leave.

“Hang on!” Leo said, and started after them. “Where are you going? How do you work?”

Leo managed to get his hands around the broom handle and it suddenly went limp in his hands. He looked it over, but it seemed like any old broom. He tried to make it stand on its own, but it fell flat onto the floor. He nudged it with his foot, but nothing happened.

“You gonna work again or what?” he asked it.

The broom got up, shook itself at him like it was scolding him, and continued after the dustpan

“Weird,” he said out loud.

So had the bread made itself? And the vase just jumped right off the table of its own accord? He was suddenly concerned about hacking up tables to make a raft.

But he needed to get home and he really didn’t want to miss Piper’s wedding. Or the chance at marrying a princess.

Leo set about exploring the second floor. He found a parlor and several empty bedrooms. No moving furniture. Despite the house being absent of people, everything was set up for company.

“Were you expecting me?” he asked the house. There was still no answer.

Leo sighed heavily. The eerie silence was getting to him. He decided to start whistling while he explored. The constant noise helped.

He found one bedroom at the end of the hall that was not made up for guests. Pillows from the bed were scattered around the room. One was ripped in two, leaning against the glass doors that lead to a balcony. Its feathers were strewn around the floor. There was a broken table Leo tried not to feel too excited about.

There was another table, which was not broken. On it stood a glass bell jar. Inside the bell jar was a red rose, floating in the middle as if submerged in water. Leo couldn’t think how water had gotten under the bell jar like that. He reached out and tipped the bell jar, just a little, to see if the water would come out, but nothing happened. Leo removed the bell jar and the rose stayed perfectly in place.

He reached his hand out to touch it.

“Don’t--” a voice said.

Leo was so startled by the sound of someone else, he withdrew his hand.

“Hey--sorry--I have this curiosity that just won’t quit and I--”

“Leave. Now.”

Leo squinted in the direction of the voice. He could just make out the shape of a cloaked figure. “I’d love to leave, honest. I’ve got a wedding to get to. But I kind of need a boat. Can you help me?”

“Help you?” After you broke into my house, stole my food, and invaded my private bedroom?”

“This is your room? You know, there’s an unused room like three doors down that was much nicer. You ever think about moving in there?”

“I have asked you to leave politely. The next time I ask, I will not be so polite.” The room started to change before Leo’s eyes. It was still dark and gloomy, but his vision distorted. It made the hair on his arms tingle. Whoever this person was, they had powerful magic.

“Okay, okay.” Leo put his hands up in surrender. “But for reals, I need a boat. See, I’m a captain,” he held up his sleeve so she could see the rank on his wrists, “and I got shipwrecked here. And I’ve got a wedding to be at in a couple days, I think, so if I could just have stuff to make a raft, that’ll do.”

One of the torn pillows came flying at him. He ducked under it. Then he got hit by a book. That hurt way worse than the pillow would have.

“I’m going, alright!”

Leo left the bedroom, but another book came zooming out after him. He made it all the way back to the open-air pavilion in the front of the castle. It was still set for guests.

When nothing came out of the castle, Leo sighed and sat down in one of the chairs. He took a biscuit from the table. It was the most delicious biscuit he’d ever had, and he was pretty sure that wasn’t just because he was hungry.

He poured himself some of the warm tea sitting on the table as well and looked around. He wasn’t sure how, but he was going to have to use some of the junk out here to build himself a way off this island and away from its crazy owner.

\--- --- ---

Percy waited long after sunset for the girl to show. He very nearly fell asleep waiting for her, but then he heard footsteps and voices. He squinted through the darkness and saw two girls walking on the dock. One was the girl with the gray eyes. He dove into the water and swam so he was right under their feet as they walked.

“You don’t have to walk me all the way back to my quarters, Thalia,” the girl was saying.

“I think Piper might hang me if I didn’t,” the other girl answered. “She was panicked when she found out you’d been shipwrecked. I wouldn’t be surprised if she sneaks out tonight to make sure you’re alright.”

The grey-eyed girl sighed heavily. “Is there any news of Captain Valdez?”

“None, I’m afraid. I’m sorry. Few of your crew have been found.”

They were so quiet, Percy could barely follow the sound of their footsteps on the wooden planks above. He hoped she wouldn’t be upset with him for only saving her out of her crew. He wasn’t sure he could have carried anyone else.

“So I heard you had no luck with the Prince of the West,” the girl finally said. “Do you think Piper will actually go to her wedding?”

“In hunting boots with a dagger, I’m sure,” the one named Thalia laughed. “And I’ll be right behind her.”

“And I as well. No prince will ever hurt Piper with us at her side. And we’ll have to do the same for Hazel.”

“Of course.”

They stopped walking and Percy nearly ran into a rock because he hadn’t been paying attention to where he was swimming.

“Here you are,” Thalia said, and Percy realized the rock was actually just the land that the girl lived on. “I’m glad to see you safe, Annabeth.”

Percy repeated the name in a whisper. “Annabeth.”

“Did you hear something?”

Percy quickly dove into the water to avoid being seen. He stayed just beneath the surface, knowing they wouldn’t be able to see in the darkness with their weak lights. He waited until Annabeth had gone indoors and Thalia returned to the shore.

“Annabeth,” Percy said again, before heading back into the sea.

He repeated her name to himself the whole swim back to the palace. Her name sounded perfect to him. Soft vowels and consonants, with an unusual lurch at the beginning and end that made his stomach twist in a pleasant way. Everything about it was perfect.

He was so caught up in his daydreaming that he didn’t even notice the captain of the guard waiting at the palace doors. He was just about to slip inside when the captain said, “Your father would like a word with you.”

Percy’s stomach dropped into his tailfin. “Are you sure? It’s a little late. I should get to bed--”

“He was very insistent.”

Reluctantly, Percy swam to the throne room.

“You’re back late,” his father said in a low voice that resonated through the water and filled the entire hall.

Percy stopped as far away from his father’s throne as he dared. “Yeah. I was getting Rainbow some fresh air. Tyson let me take him since, y’know, I’ve been sixteen for a while and can do things like go to the surface. Perfectly allowed.”

“And that has nothing to do with a human girl you saved last night?”

Percy winced. “Tyson promised he wouldn’t tell you.”

“Tyson didn’t tell me. You just did. I have eyes all over the sea, Percy. I was hoping the report was slander against you. You know having a surface-dweller mother makes many in my court suspicious of you. I’ve urged you to be careful, and I’ve asked you not to get involved with the surface world. You’ve disregarded my wishes. I’m going to have to remove your privilege of visiting the surface.”

“You can’t!” He hadn’t meant to shout, and quickly swam a foot back. “I mean--Dad, please. I want to see her again and--”

“That is precisely why you cannot go. I cannot have a son whose loyalties are divided between two worlds. This is for your own good.”

“My own good? You mean your own good! The good of the kingdom. This has nothing to do with me or what I want!” Percy bit down on his lip to keep it from trembling. He didn’t know if it was out of heartbreak or anger. Maybe both. Either way, he wouldn’t fall apart in front of his father.

“I am trying to protect you--”

“You fell in love with a human! You fell in love with my mother. Why can’t I do the same?”

“Percy, I fell in love with your mother and then war broke out. She gave you to me to keep you safe from the fighting. I cannot let you go back.”

Percy balled his hands into fists. “You can’t stop me from seeing her.”

“Yes, I can.”

Percy looked up at his father. He knew better than to challenge the king of the sea, but with every fiber of his being, he dared his father to keep him in the palace. He would not be held prisoner here. The surface was as much his home as the ocean, and he had every right to it.

He swam out of the throne room, ducking past the guards. One nearly caught his tail, but he yanked his fin away. He got out of the palace, but that was hardly escaping. He had to go somewhere outside his father’s control. That meant either the surface, where he couldn’t survive, or….

Percy swam towards Circe’s garden. She wasn’t trustworthy, but she was the only person who could help him, and his father’s soldiers wouldn’t dare follow him there.

He ducked through an old shipwreck from the surface war, hoping to lose a few of the guards in the debris. He also snatched a handful of pearls on his way, because he was going to need payment for the witch.

Finally, he arrived at the edge of the chasm that divided his father’s realm from Circe’s. He paused to glance back. There were still a few soldiers not far behind him. They would take him back to the palace and he’d never be allowed to see Annabeth or the surface world again.

Percy swam over the chasm and into the witch’s garden.

The seaweed beneath him was bright red and moved not with the current of the water, but with a mind of its own. It reached out for Percy as he passed over it. One particularly long tendril wrapped around his wrist and he barely managed to pull himself free. His heart hammered in his chest, but there was no going back.

He reached the mouth of a cave and peered into the darkness. Circe was sitting at a stool, arranging her hair in a looking glass. She looked like a surface-dweller to Percy, but he knew it was only an illusion. She looked the way he wanted her to look. That was how she made people like her.

Percy swam forward, clutching the pearls tightly in his hand. He cleared his throat. “Circe, Ma’am, my name is Percy Jackson. I was wondering if you could help me. I brought payment.”

Circe turned and looked at him. Her eyes seemed to see right through him. he swallowed down his fear and held out the pearls.

“I know who you are and I know what you wish, Percy Jackson, Prince of the Seas. But you must understand what a risk it would be for me to go against Poseidon.”

“How did you--” But he knew from her secretive smile she would never tell. And he probably didn’t want to know. So he shook his head and continued with his request. “He doesn’t care enough about me to retaliate.”

Circe laughed. “You are quite young and naive, aren’t you? Fine. I will give you what you want, but it will cost you much more than a few pearls.”

Percy swallowed hard. “Like what?”

The witch thought on this for a moment. “Your father’s magic is what keeps you under the sea. I cannot undo it completely. What I can do is give you three days on the surface, but every step you take will feel like walking on broken glass.”

“Just three days?” Percy asked weakly.

“If you want to permanently break your father’s spell, you must fall in love with a human, and she--or he--with you in return. When you share a kiss, your father’s magic will break. That will make you permanently human. But if you fail, and do not receive that kiss before your time is up, your soul will belong to me.”

Percy shivered. Three days to kiss Annabeth. Surely he could manage that. “What will it cost me?”

Circe thought on this for a long moment. “I will take the pearls you brought me as payment, but I will also require your voice.”

“My… what? Why?”

“I want something to protect me from your father’s wrath. If I have a piece of you, he won’t be able to hurt me.”

Percy frowned. “When I kiss Annabeth, will I get it back?”

“There are no refunds,” Circe said. “Your body will become completely human, as it is meant to be. But your voice will stay with me. It is a price, Percy Jackson. A trade.”

Percy wasn’t sure how he could convince Annabeth to fall in love with him if he couldn’t speak to her. But, then again, he always got into trouble for the things he said. Maybe it would actually be better if he couldn’t talk.

“Okay. I’ll do it.”

Circe reached her hand out for the pearls.

Percy put them into her hand, and when their fingers touched, he felt his entire body go rigid. His fin felt like it was tearing in two and the pressure of the water threatened to break his bones. He pushed for the surface, but his fin didn’t work the way he wanted it to. He made it out of the cave and tried to go upwards, towards the light. He couldn’t breathe. He wasn’t even sure he was going in the right direction.

Just when he thought his chest would burst, he breached the surface and took in a huge breath. He’d never felt such physical relief before. The air was refreshing in a way water had always been. He wondered if he’d ever be able to return to the sea without drowning.

But right now, he only had three days to kiss Annabeth.

It was still dark, but he could see the shadow of the castle above the harbor. He knew Annabeth would be at her house, where he’d left her just an hour ago. It was a few miles off, so he began to swim. But his legs were not constructed for swimming. He wasn’t sure how to use them and breathe at the same time. It took him far longer than he was used to to reach the shore, and when he did, he was so exhausted that he had to use the support beams of the docks to pull himself all the way to the sand.

He flopped down into the sand, breathing heavily. His lungs hurt like he was being stabbed. Was this what air felt like all the time?

“Oh!” someone cried. “Stay right there! Don’t move. Annabeth! Come quick!”

Percy tried to push himself up. He wanted to see her. But someone was suddenly next to him and had a hand on his shoulder. He couldn’t see the girl’s face but he could smell the leather of her boots.

“No, stay still. We’ll get you water and a blanket.”

He didn’t know what a blanket was, but water did not sound like something he needed right now.

“What is it, Piper?” Annabeth called.

Again, Percy tried to sit up. He tried to call her, but no sound came out of his mouth.

“He just washed up on shore,” the girl at his side said. “Is he one of your crew?”

“Help him inside and I’ll take a look.”

The girl beside Percy picked him up like he weighed nothing and carried him onto the dock and to Annabeth’s house. She laid him down on something soft and warm and covered him with something just as warm and a little bit heavy. Sensations out of water were so odd. And there were so many smells. Percy wanted to think about it all, but he was focused on one thing. He searched the room for Annabeth.

She walked over to him. She was wearing a grey robe tied at her waist. She leaned down to brush his hair out of his face and Percy leaned up and kissed her.

Annabeth jumped back. “Whoa--” She pulled a piece of kelp from his hair. “You got seaweed for brains or something? I’m going to give you the benefit of the doubt and assume you’re delirious. Don’t you ever try that again.”

The other girl, the one called Piper, stepped around Annabeth and handed Percy an open cylinder. She was dressed in a cloak with heavy boots over her feet. Her eyes seemed to be three different colors at once, and she had bright blue feathers braided into her hair. If Percy wasn’t so smitten with Annabeth, he might have said Piper was the most beautiful person he’d ever seen.

Piper gave him the container of water and told him to drink, but he didn’t know what she meant.

Annabeth stepped away and folded her arms over her chest. “He’s not one of my crew.”

“I’m sorry,” Piper said, then noticed how Percy was staring at the container of water she had given him. “Oh--let me help.” She slipped a hand behind his head and lifted the container to his lips.

Percy breathed in and sputtered.

“Are you alright? Just swallow it, okay?”

Percy did as she asked this time, and he found it a strange sensation to drink water and breathe air, and was kind of surprised he couldn’t do it at the same time. He was also surprised by how much better the water made him feel.

“Do you know your name?” Annabeth asked him.

His eyes lit up as she addressed him and he tried to say, “Percy,” but his voice was gone.

Piper gave him another drink of water. “I’m sure you’ve been through a lot. Why don’t you rest now?”

Her words were so persuasive, Percy nearly fell asleep on the spot. He would have, if Annabeth’s voice hadn’t kept him awake.

“I’ll keep him for the night. Maybe he’ll be able to talk to us in the morning.”

“Are you sure?” Piper asked. “You must be exhausted yourself--”

“Who would I be if I can’t return the kindness that was extended to me just this morning? But--maybe you could have some clothes sent down for him.”

“Of course.”

Then the door closed, and Annabeth turned off the lights. Percy, unusually exhausted from swimming, of all things, fell asleep instantly.


	3. The First Sunrise

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Frank Zhang's day is worse than usual. Percy meets his rival.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is my absolute favorite chapter because finally percabeth, and the whole reason I wrote this fic in the first place. Also Piper and Percy bonding? like it doesn't have a lot of basis in canon, but it took on a whole life in this fic and i love it. I hope you do too.

Frank Zhang was awake at sunrise. Every. Single. Morning.

He scrubbed his boots until they shined, polished the buttons on his uniform, and scrubbed every spot out of his military coat, knowing full well that no matter how neatly he started the day, he would end it dirty and scuffed.

His mother had died in the war, and there weren’t a lot of options for orphaned teenagers, so he’d joined the war too. But now there had been a year of peace, and he still had two years left on his commitment.

Despite his lengthy service, Frank had not managed to advance in the ranks. He was clumsy and meek. He disliked combat, and every other soldier made fun of him for it. He was slow, and as such, finished last in every training exercise. Which meant he was the one to clean the kitchens and the barracks every day. It was a wonder they hadn’t discharged him yet. Or maybe they liked having someone to order to polish their shoes in the morning.

The worst was his unit’s commanding officer--Octavian. Octavian, for whatever reason, liked being mean to Frank. He found the tiniest excuses to give Frank extra push-ups, or have him scrub the bathrooms with an inch-sized brush.

Then there was Clarisse. She was an exchange from the East, as part of the peace program, and she was tougher than any commander they’d had before. She wasn’t mean to him, at least, not especially. She was mean to everyone. But it didn’t help Frank’s case any.

It was just Frank’s luck that Clarisse would stick around through the end of Frank’s service. He was never going to get any better.

This particular morning, though, Frank had a glimmer of hope. Tomorrow would be a feast day for the entire kingdom. That meant a day off. A real day off! The country was celebrating their Prince’s return--a prince who had been lost for years--as well as his marriage to a Princess in the East. And, rumor had it, their own princess would also be choosing a husband.

Frank was happy for all the weddings and happy unions, but mostly he just wanted to see the princes and princesses. He wanted to put on his perfectly polished uniform and walk into that ballroom. He’d at least look the part, and as long as he didn’t dance, or walk around, or move too much in general, no one would know how clumsy he was.

It was his daydreaming that made him thirty seconds late to the mess hall, which meant cleaning the kitchen after breakfast, which meant late to the morning training exercise, which meant he missed lunch entirely and had to go straight to the afternoon drills. Then, when he finally got back to his bunk, Octavian informed him that his sheets had been folded incorrectly that morning.

“Folded incorrectly?” Frank echoed. “How? I do it the same way every day.”

Octavian’s upper lip curled into something of a sneer. “The fold back, over the blanket, is to be exactly four inches, Frank Zhang. Yours is precisely three and three-quarter inches. You’ll have to spend all day cleaning the barracks tomorrow.”

Frank could only stare at him in disbelief. “Tomorrow. But everyone has a day off tomorrow.”

“Everyone who properly folded their bedsheets has a day off tomorrow. There’s no sense complaining. Tomorrow you’ll have the best opportunity to clean, with everyone else at the palace. And I want it spotless! I just received word that General Reyna has arrived at the palace. She’ll be by for inspections tomorrow, and you certainly don’t want to disappoint her.”

Frank must’ve looked like a fish gasping for air on a dock. “That’s not fair, though.”

“You should have folded your sheets properly. Now shine that spot on your shoe, clean that stain off your chest, and report to dinner in exactly four minutes if you don’t want to be cleaning the kitchens tonight.”

Frank didn’t know how he was supposed to do all those things in four minutes, but his fury and rage at Octavian helped. For the first time in six months, he was perfectly on time to dinner.

\--- --- ---

Annabeth had spent the night on her couch and let the shipwrecked boy have her bed. It was the least she could do. Sure, he’d tried to kiss her last night, but she imagined he didn’t know what he was doing. He hadn’t even seemed sure of who he was then. She hoped he was feeling better now.

She woke up as the sunlight filtered in through her window and got up to prepare breakfast. She was startled to see the boy already sitting up in bed.

“Good morning,” she said. “Are you hungry for breakfast?”

The boy opened his mouth, but then quickly closed it. He looked incredibly disappointed, but nodded.

Annabeth set about fixing two bowls of hot porridge. “Still can’t speak?” she asked.

He shook his head.

“Is it an injury or... ?” She wasn’t quite sure how to ask the rest of that question. She’d had plenty of men in her navy that couldn’t speak, whether it was because they also couldn’t hear, or were former pirates that had their tongues cut out, she didn’t really care. She just wanted to know if she should expect this boy to recover his speech, or if she would have to find another way to communicate with him.

The boy shook his head again.

“Do you know any sign language?” she asked.

Again, no.

“Can you read or spell?”

That was, again, negative.

Annabeth sighed and poured hot water over the porridge. “Tell you what--You can hear just fine, can’t you?” He’d seemed to understand her so far, but maybe he could read lips. She’d worked with enough deaf and mute sailors to know just how many ways people could learn to communicate.

The boy nodded.

“I can teach you the signed alphabet and its sounds. Then you can try to spell things out when you need to say something. It won’t be perfect, but we’ll make it work.”

The boy seemed to like this idea. Then he pointed at her, then at his head. His face looked like he was trying to ask a question.

“How do I know the signed alphabet?”

He nodded.

“My cousin taught me. It comes in handy when you’re on a large ship and the winds are howling.” Annabeth set a bowl of porridge on the table next to the bed, then drew up a chair for herself. She’d taught several sailors, some who could read and some who couldn’t, the alphabet, so she knew the difference between teaching letters and sounds. Luckily, this boy was a faster learner than some of the crewmen she had to teach. She supposed it helped that he was young. It was easier to pick up on at an early age.

They went through all the sounds until he had them memorized. Then, he did something that startled her. He spelled A-N-A-B-E-H.

“Annabeth?” she said in surprise.

He nodded, clearly pleased with himself, and took a bite of his porridge.

She taught him the proper spelling for her name. “But, actually, we don’t usually spell full names. My cousin calls me this.” She made an “A” and put a hand to her head like a salute. “What’s your name?”

He spelled out P-R-S-E.

She had to puzzle that one out for a moment before asking, “Percy?”

He nodded with a wide smile. His excitement was so infectious she couldn’t help but laugh. She taught him how to spell his name properly, then finished her porridge. “Do you know where you’re from, Percy?”

Percy bit down on his lip. He seemed to struggle with this question. She wondered if he was having trouble remembering, or if there were things he didn’t want to tell her. Instead of spelling, he pointed out her window to the ocean.

“Yes, I assumed you were shipwrecked, but where are you from?”

He shook his head and pointed again.

“Oh,” she realized. “You’re from the West. That’s perfect. We’re leaving for the princess’s wedding today. I’ll make sure you come along.”

He looked exasperated, but she didn’t have time to question him further. There was a knock at her door. She left her porridge next to her bed and got up to answer, half-expecting to find Piper refusing to leave, and asking Annabeth to hide her from her mother.

Annabeth was surprised to find Luke at her door. He looked surprised to see her.

“I didn’t realize you lived here,” he said. “I was just going to ask where I could find you. You said if I wanted to come with, you were leaving first thing in the morning, right?”

Annabeth wished her heart would stop fluttering around in her chest and stay where it was supposed to. “Yes, I did say that. I didn’t think you’d actually come.”

“I don’t have to--”

“No, I want you to,” she said quickly. “You just seemed unsure when I asked.”

“My brothers can manage the lighthouse while I’m gone. They promised me they wouldn’t let any ships crash on the rocks while I was away,” he said with a small laugh. 

“Well--I’m nearly ready.” She adjusted her robe. “We’ll leave as soon as the royal family is here.” She held the door open so Luke could come inside.

She was suddenly very self-conscious of how her small house would look to a stranger. She had a fireplace with a couch in front of it on one side, a writing desk with a chair on the other. On the back of the chair were the clothes Piper had sent down for Percy, but otherwise the desk was perfectly neat. Against the back wall was her bed and bedside table. She had an armoire and a door that led to a bathroom. It wasn’t a lot, but it was all that she needed. And it was near her ships. Not a thing was out of place except--

She realized suddenly that Luke was staring uncomfortably at Percy in her bed.

“It isn’t what it looks like,” she said quickly, and her face flushed pink. “Luke, this is Percy. he washed up on shore last night. Piper brought him to me. He must’ve been caught in the same storm I was.”

Luke’s face relaxed and his pleasant smile returned. “Fate’s funny that way, isn’t it? Pleasure to meet you.” He extended his hand to Percy, who only stared at it, confused.

“He’s still coming back to himself,” Annabeth explained as she grabbed her clothes. “He just needs some time. And he doesn’t speak, either. Could you help him get dressed?” Annabeth pointed to the clothes Piper had sent.

“Of course,” Luke said.

Annabeth smiled, and locked herself in her bathroom. She was a little shocked by how easily Luke had accepted everything she said. If she had walked into his house, and he tried to explain away a girl in his bed as from a shipwreck, she wouldn’t have believed it, even though yesterday morning she was the shipwrecked girl in his bed.

She changed out of her robe and into her white breeches and blue button-up shirt. She tied the silver scarf in the mirror, then went to check on Percy and Luke.

Luke was only just helping Percy get onto his feet. But as soon as Percy was standing, he winced in pain, and Annabeth noticed the scrapes along his thighs, like he’d been dragged across the rocks.

“Oh, Percy, why didn’t you say something?” she gasped, and of course realized how stupid that sounded after it was out of her mouth. “Luke, set him down. Help me bandage him.” She grabbed strips of linen from beneath her desk. She cut a long piece for herself, then handed the rest to Luke.

Percy stared at her as she wrapped the wounds on his leg. She wished she knew what he was thinking, but his large, sea-green eyes didn’t seem to communicate much other than absolute wonder. She felt her cheeks grow warm under his gaze.

“I guess I’m the one with seaweed for brains,” she laughed as she finished the bandage. “We should have checked you for injuries last night. Are you hurt anywhere else?”

Percy shook his head. He still looked like he was in pain, though, even as Luke finished bandaging his other leg.

“It might sting a little,” Annabeth said, “but at least they won’t be rubbing against your clothes.”

This time, Percy looked braced for the pain as he stood and Luke helped him into a pair of breeches. Annabeth tried not to watch, and focused on putting on her boots instead. She tucked her gloves into her belt and slung her coat over her arm.

Luke helped Percy into a shirt with a tied collar, and a coat that would protect against the strong winds on the sea. He tried to button up the coat for Percy, but Percy swatted Luke’s hands away and insisted on buttoning them himself. It took him longer, but Annabeth waited patiently.

Lacing his boots did not take nearly as long. Knots were something Percy’s hands seemed to have no trouble with. Annabeth felt certain he had been a sailor, but she wasn’t sure why some things came so quickly to him and others took longer.

There was a trumpet outside, and Annabeth opened her door. “That’ll be Piper and the rest of the royal party. I suppose it’s time to go.”

Percy tugged at the collar of his jacket uncomfortably, and looked at Annabeth with a question in his eyes that she couldn’t quite interpret, so she guessed at what he was asking.

“Our princess is marrying your prince in the West. And the princess in the West is having a celebratory ball where she will choose her own husband. I think it would be good if you come with us, then you’ll be able to find your way home.”

She wasn’t sure if it answered his question or not. He looked a little disappointed by something, but he nodded. He was still flinching as they walked to the boat, and Luke offered his arm, but Percy ignored it.

Annabeth met Piper and Thalia on the dock. Piper still hadn’t taken the feathers out of her hair, which both surprised and impressed Annabeth.

“I told my mother it was this or a mourning veil,” Piper explained. “So, shall we?”

Annabeth put on her coat and led her friends onto her ship. She introduced them to Luke and Percy, properly, and then took the helm of the ship. She did not appoint anyone to captain. She would act as captain for now, and she’d get a new one later. Though how she could ever replace Leo, she had no idea.

\--- --- ---

Piper was not thrilled about her arranged marriage. She understood the reasoning behind it, but she didn’t like that it came at the cost of her freedom and her dreams. Not that she was one of those girls who spent hours daydreaming about her wedding, but she’d had a few ideas. One being that she’d like to be in love with the guy, or at least know his name.

She stood at the prow of the ship and stared at the horizon, knowing it would be hours before she could see the shores of the West, but it was easier to look ahead than to watch her life behind her disappear.

There were footsteps behind her, and she looked to see the boy Annabeth had brought--or, one of them, the dark, quiet one--approaching. He didn’t come too close. He clearly had no intention of interrupting her thoughts, but he seemed to want to look out from the front of the ship as well. He leaned against the railing at sat down. He even put his feet up on the rails as well, so he was simply sitting on the edge of the ship.

“Be careful,” she said. She hadn’t meant to make it a charm, but the boy put his feet back down on the deck. “You’re Percy, right?”

He nodded and made some motion with his hands.

Piper shook her head. “Sorry, I never could pick up on those. A dozen spoken languages, no problem, but the minute Annabeth tries to teach me to speak with my hands? Can’t memorize a single thing.”

This seemed to amuse Percy. He pointed to himself, made like he was writing in the air, and shook his head.

“You’ve never learned to write?”

He nodded and shrugged his shoulders.

“I guess we all have things we’re terrible at,” Piper said. “Annabeth said you’re from the West. Any idea what the prince is like?”

Percy shook his head. He pointed to the water below.

Piper laughed. “No, I’m not going to jump off just because I’m in an arranged marriage. I think that’d only start the war over again. I’m not stupid enough to want that.”

Percy looked frustrated but Piper couldn’t understand what about. She couldn’t imagine he was angry about the arranged marriage on her behalf or anything like that. She’d only just met him.

Percy got off the railing and winced as he did.

“Have you had a doctor look at you?” Piper asked.

Percy shook his head and waved his hands like he didn’t need one.

“Nonsense. I had my personal physician come with us in case of emergency. I can ask him to take a look at you, make sure you’re alright.”

Percy still shook his head, but Piper took his arm and led him to her doctor’s quarters. He stumbled alongside her, and she said, “I still struggle with walking on a boat too, sometimes. You’ll adjust. Of course, by the time you do, we’ll be on land again.”

Percy rubbed at his forehead like he had a headache and Piper wondered if he was getting enough water.

Doctor Will Solace’s cabin door was open when they arrived, but Piper knocked on the frame anyway.

He looked up from his desk and smiled. “Piper. And a guest? Seasick already?”

“This is the guy Annabeth and I found on the beach last night. Could you look over him? Make sure he’s alright?”

Will motioned to the couch in the middle of his room and Piper set Percy down on it. “Go ahead and undress. Piper, will you close the door?”

Piper did as Will asked, and noticed that Percy seemed to struggle with undoing the buttons for a minute, but had no problem with the rest of his clothes. If he had any shame about being naked in front of her, he didn’t show it. Piper, at least, tried to look at Percy as little as possible.

She couldn’t help but stare at the bandages on his legs though, and even stepped a little closer as Will peeled back the clean strips. She sucked in a deep breath when she saw the scrapes down the sides of his legs. No wonder he looked like he was in pain whenever he walked.

“Do they hurt much?” Will asked and reached for a bottle on his desk.

Percy shook his head.

“He walks with a bit of a limp,” Piper said.

Percy glared at her, like it wasn’t any of her business. She stuck her tongue out at him.

“This will sting but they need to be cleaned.” Will rubbed the contents of the bottle on Percy’s legs, and Percy winced. Piper took his hand and he squeezed it tightly.

When Will had finished cleaning and re-bandaging Percy’s legs, he started a proper check up. He poked the tips of Percy’s toes, which all flinched appropriately. His fingers responded just fine, too. He took Percy’s pulse, looked inside his mouth, and examined his head for any injuries.

“Perfectly healthy,” Will pronounced and handed Percy his pants back. “Piper was worried for nothing. Just make sure you clean those scrapes each night and they’ll heal right up.”

Percy stuck his tongue out at Piper and began to redress.

“But it was reasonable to be concerned,” Piper said.

“Oh, of course,” Will nodded. He watched Percy carefully as he redressed, and Piper wondered what he was thinking.

There was a knock on the door, Annabeth poked her head in. Piper noticed the way Percy seemed to light up when he saw Annabeth. She also noticed Annabeth hardly seemed to notice him.

“Hey, I was just looking for you, Piper. Your mother said it’s time for you to change.”

Piper wrinkled her nose. “We’ve got hours before we get there.”

“She said it will take hours.” Annabeth shrugged her shoulders. “I’m not here to make you go, but I am here to tell you what she said.”

Piper sighed. “I’ll find somewhere to hide for now. Maybe I can show Percy the galley.” She thought that wandering around, unescorted, with a strange boy, was the perfect way to irritate her mother. And she liked Percy. He seemed to have a sense of humor that reminded her a little of Leo, even if he couldn’t talk.

“Actually, I was hoping I could borrow Percy,” Annabeth said.

Piper wanted to be a little disappointed, but she imagined Percy wouldn’t be. “Fine. I’ll find Thalia and ask her to protect me from my mother.”

She watched Percy’s jaw tighten as he walked to the door. The scrapes looked bad, but Will had said they were alright. She wondered if something else was wrong with Percy. But Annabeth didn’t seem to notice as she led Percy back down the hallway.

Piper was about to run off too when Will stopped her.

“Piper, just a minute. I wanted to ask--you don’t know anything about where that boy’s come from, do you?”

“Annabeth said the West. Why?”

Will leaned back in his chair and rubbed his jaw. “He has scar marks on his neck. They’re slightly raised, like someone took a knife to him. And he’s definitely lying about being in pain.”

“Do you think those scars are the reason he can’t speak?”

Will frowned. “They’re not quite in the right place. It worries me. But keep an eye on him. Or have Annabeth do it, because you have enough on your mind.”

Piper thought that worrying about Percy sounded a lot better than worrying about her impending doom. “It’s no problem. Now I’m going to grab some food before my mother tries to convince me to eat deer meat.”

“One last thing,” Will said, just as Piper put her hand on the door. “Your wedding night--well, I’m your physician, so please don’t feel uncomfortable speaking to me about any questions or concerns you might have. And I would like to advise you not to talk to Thalia or Annabeth about it. Please talk to me. I don’t want one of them starting a war on your behalf if anything were to… go wrong.”

Piper frowned. “I have two more days of freedom before I’m worrying about any of that.” She nearly left in her anger, but took a deep breath and said, “Thanks, though. I know what you mean and I think you’re right. Annabeth might send the entire navy after the West if she even suspected I was in trouble.”

“I promise I’ll do what I can to keep you out of trouble.”

Piper really did like Will. He was friendly and approachable and completely trustworthy. And absolutely not into women, so she’d never worried about feeling uncomfortable around him. That was a bonus.

If her fiance was half as pleasant as Will, maybe she’d survive being married.


	4. Time

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Percy makes friends with Thalia; Leo wanders into a dream.

Percy followed Annabeth up to the deck of the ship eagerly. His legs hurt worse than anything. It reminded him of the one time he’d gotten his fin caught in a fishing line, and it had nearly sliced his tail off. That, but multiplied all the way up his legs.

But when Percy was with Annabeth, the pain didn’t seem to matter. He still noticed it--it was impossible to ignore--but he went from being afraid to put his feet on the floor to ready to run if it meant keeping up with her.

“You had Will look you over? Did he say anything about the bandages?”

Percy signed O-K, and then L-U-K.

She corrected his spelling, then said, “Luke’s apparently seasick.”

Percy tried really hard not to look excited about that. He couldn’t help disliking Luke. Not that Luke had done anything, but Luke wasn’t the one who had saved Annabeth, and Percy didn’t know how to explain everything to her when he was limited by a few sounds he could barely string together into words. He only had two and a half days left to win Annabeth’s heart, and it wasn’t easy with another guy around.

“You’re not seasick at all, are you?” she asked him.

Percy shook his head.

Annabeth nodded like he’d gotten the answer to a question right. He didn’t understand.

When they finally reached the top deck, Percy breathed in deeply. He was starting to like being on a boat. He wasn’t entirely comfortable with the ocean surrounding him like this, both because he didn’t trust his ability to swim anymore, and because he felt a little too close to his father to be safe. But he did like the smell of the sea air, and the wind across the deck. He’d watched the sailors leave port and was fascinated by all the knots and ropes that went into making a ship go. He felt like if he stayed here with Annabeth forever, they’d never be happier.

She tossed him a rope and he caught it. 

“I want you to try this,” she said, and quickly made a knot out of the rope.

Percy copied her movements exactly, even though she’d done them too quickly for him to really study them. He got along well with boats. He’d watched them from afar, and studied the wrecks for years. He found that being on a boat was far more familiar than being on land, in a strange way.

Annabeth asked Percy to tell her the direction of the wind, which he did easily, and then he helped her adjusted the sails. She taught him a lot of words and their signs. She seemed surprised that he didn’t know a lot of the words she was using, but he didn’t know where she’d expected him to learn words like “jibe” and “boom” when he’d never actually been on a boat before.

After a few hours, when the two of them and the crew had jibed a few times, Percy could see the western shore on the horizon. It was a little disappointing. He’d actually been having a good time and wasn’t ready to go back on land, where Annabeth would probably send him off, tell him to go home. He didn’t know how to make her understand that the West wasn’t his home, and in fact, he was pretty sure if any of the Western kings found out he was there, they’d probably kill him. His father had never exactly gotten along with the kings in the West.

Luke came up from below deck and smiled at Annabeth, who was at the helm. Percy was up in the rigging. He found climbing on the ropes didn’t hurt nearly as bad as walking. He watched the way Luke approached Annabeth, a little unsteady on his feet. He couldn’t hear what they said from this far away, but Annabeth pointed to the horizon and Luke looked pleased. He didn’t look seasick at all, in Percy’s opinion. Or maybe Percy just wished he looked more ill.

Percy climbed out of the rigging and took orders as the crew pulled into port. The work came to him as naturally as swimming, and by the time they were disembarking, he really didn’t want to go.

Annabeth caught him just as they were stepping onto the docks.

“Are you still going to tell me,” she said, “after all that, you’re not a sailor?”

Percy didn’t know how to explain it all to her, so he just shook his head. He spelled N-O just to be clear, then pointed again to the water.

“I really don’t understand,” she said. She looked sad somehow.

Percy wanted to try and explain further, but Luke took Annabeth’s arm.

“Do you mind if I hold onto you?” Luke said. “I feel a little off balance on land again.”

Percy watched Annabeth’s cheeks get pink and she nodded. “Of course. Imagine being at sea for months,” she laughed, and led Luke away.

“I don’t think I could,” Luke said, and that made Percy bitter.

Percy would happily spend months at sea with Annabeth, and Luke couldn’t even manage a few hours, yet it was Luke who got Annabeth’s attention?

Percy followed a few paces behind Annabeth and Luke, not really sure what else to do. He could stay with the crew of the ship, but he wanted to be with Annabeth. She’d have to send him back if she didn’t want to see him.

By the time they all arrived at the palace, Annabeth seemed to have forgotten about him completely. He looked for Piper, hoping she might have an idea of what he should do, but she was being led away by her mother. He caught the tail-end of a scolding about her hair and decided he shouldn’t interrupt.

He was half-tempted to just give up his journey and go back to the ocean, maybe beg his father’s forgiveness, when Thalia came up behind him.

Percy had only met Thalia briefly--Annabeth had introduced her as Lieutenant of the Eastern Military--and he was already terrified of her.

She looked younger than him, but she also looked like she could kill him without even thinking about it. She had short dark hair and wore silver and blue, like Annabeth. She carried a sword at her waist at all times, even when they were on open sea.

“I need to speak with you,” Thalia said.

Percy shrugged his shoulders and touched his throat. He must not have hidden his mischievous smile very well, because Thalia elbowed him. She took him through the palace into an empty parlor and closed the door behind them.

“What do you know about that guy Luke?” Thalia asked.

Percy was surprised Thalia was asking him. He struggled with spelling out an answer, then finally just shook his head and shrugged his shoulders.

“Annabeth says he saved her, but I don’t like not knowing anything about him. Same with this mystery Prince of the West business. I don’t like not knowing what my friends are getting into.”

Percy hunched his back and mimed hobbling with a cane. 

Thalia punched his shoulder. “If Piper’s fiance is some old geezer, I will restart this war on her behalf.”

Percy raised his eyebrows.

“Kidding, really. Mostly. I don’t know, actually.”

Percy decided that even though he was terrified of Thalia, he liked her. She cared about her friends. He could understand that. He pointed to Thalia and spelled out L-U-V, slowly, because Thalia wasn’t nearly as quick with the letters as Annabeth was.

“Me? In love?” Thalia snorted.

Percy thought she was offended by the question, but then her face got serious.

She glanced around the parlor, as if double-checking that they were alone. “I’m only telling you because I know you won’t tell anybody.”

Percy wasn’t sure if he should be offended or not.

“Annabeth and Piper don’t even know.” Thalia placed her hand on the hilt of her sword as she spoke. “It happened before the war started. I was born in the East, but my mother moved to the West. She was a consort of one of the Western Kings, and some people weren’t too happy about that. A curse was put on my brother and I, that he would die before his sixteenth birthday, and I would die after mine. My mother went a little crazy, demanded our father protect us. So he did the best he could. He hid my brother. I have no idea where. I didn’t want to tell them because, well, at first I didn’t want Annabeth to think I was a traitor from a foreign country. And then because I didn’t want Piper to know I was related to her fiance. To save me, though, my father made a deal with Lady Artemis. She would stop me from aging the day before I turned sixteen as long as I served in her military.” Thalia smiled wryly. “I guess he regretted that one because when the war broke out I was one of her top soldiers.”

Percy found the story sad, but he wasn’t sure how it answered his question. He was about to ask it again, then he wondered if it was a personal question, and maybe he shouldn’t have asked it in the first place. But he supposed Thalia could have chosen not to answer. Maybe she wanted to tell someone, and he was the only one who she could trust to keep his mouth shut.

“The deal, though,” Thalia continued, “is that I can only remain in Lady Artemis’s service as long as I don’t fall in love. She doesn’t like her soldiers to have divided loyalties. So, no, I won’t fall in love. I have no intention of doing so.” She frowned. “Annabeth’s usually so level-headed. I don’t like how careless she’s behaving towards you and Luke.” Thalia cleared her throat. “You, however, seem honest, if dim. Piper likes you, and Piper has a good instinct about people.”

Again, Percy felt weirdly offended and complimented. Maybe that was just how Thalia was with everyone.

“Annabeth says you’re from the West,” Thalia said, and Percy realized how tired he was of hearing that, “but I spent a lot of my childhood here, and you don’t look like you’re from the West.”

Percy shook his head and spelled N-O. He didn’t know how much clearer he needed to be on that. Then he spelled S-E.

“The Southeast? I’m not familiar--”

N-O. O-S-E-N. He pointed to the ocean, not sure what else to do.

Thalia frowned and folded her arms over her chest. “You’re from… the ocean? The sea?”

Percy nodded.

“Annabeth said you insist you’re not a sailor.”

Percy wanted to bang his head into the wall. How was everyone so dense? Did the surface really have no concept of the world under the sea? He raised one arm and held it horizontal. With his other, he mimed someone going under his arm, under the water.

It finally clicked for Thalia.

“I’d only heard rumors….” she said quietly. “I see why Annabeth was confused.” She glanced around the room again, then stepped closer to Percy and dropped her voice to a whisper. “You can’t tell anyone else.”

Percy nodded. He knew. The West would kill him if they knew who he was. What he was.

“Not even Annabeth. Not until we’re home, at least. I promise I’ll make sure you don’t get left here.”

He thought he could hug Thalia, but she didn’t seem like the kind of person who would appreciate it. He was incredibly honored she wanted to help him. Then he realized if anyone in the East knew who he was and had brought him to the West anyway, it would be treachery, against the treaty. He'd put them all in a dangerous position.

“I don’t blame you,” Thalia said quickly, as if she could read his thoughts. “You did try to tell Annabeth. She never would’ve brought you here if she’d known.”

That was one reason Percy was glad Annabeth hadn’t understood him. What a waste his three-day spell would have been if Annabeth had left him behind.

Thalia looked like she was about to tell him something else, but the door opened. Princess Piper and a girl Percy had never met before stepped inside.

Piper’s hair was curled neatly and her dress was a bright pink with a tight bodice and a skirt that changed from solid to sheer by the time it touched the floor. She looked exceptionally unhappy.

The other girl didn’t look any more content. Her skin was dark, darker than Percy’s, and her hair was a burnt orange. Her dress was purple and black, and she smiled at Percy and Thalia. She curtsied to Percy and extended her hand.

“I’m Hazel Levesque, Princess of the West. Pleasure to make your acquaintance. Piper has spoken well of you.”

Percy wasn’t sure she would say that if she knew who he really was. He stared curiously at her hand, not quite sure what he was supposed to do with it.

Piper rolled her eyes. “Hazel, you don’t need to be formal with Percy.” She flopped unceremoniously onto one of the parlor couches. “He’s a little dim when it comes to manners.”

“I see why you like him,” Hazel laughed and took a seat near Piper, a little more gracefully. Thalia remained standing, so Percy, even though his legs were killing him, did the same.

“Thalia,” Hazel said slowly, “I trust you had a safe trip?”

“Pleasant, thank you,” Thalia answered shortly.

Piper groaned. “Come on. I thought you guys were over this. At least agree on coming up with a way to prevent my miserable marriage.”

“We’ve discussed it at great length, actually,” Hazel said and smoothed over her dress. “Thalia and I wish we could help, but we can’t do anything. And there’s nothing to be done for me, either,” Hazel added.

“Take Percy,” Piper said. “I think having a husband who can’t talk has its perks.”

Okay, that was definitely offensive. Hazel seemed to understand, too, because she lightly pinched Piper.

“Piper’s just grumpy,” Thalia said quietly to Percy. “She doesn’t mean it. Hazel gets to choose her husband tomorrow, at Piper’s wedding celebration. Piper’s unhappy for the both of them.”

“I am sorry,” Piper said, and sat up. “I didn’t mean it like that, really. Just that--this whole thing is ridiculous.” She plucked irritably at the skirt of her dress. “Where’s Annabeth? Not that I want to go hunting, but I’d like to get out of these clothes.”

“She’s making sure Luke has quarters for the night,” Hazel said. “Seeing how tonight’s hunting trip is ladies only.”

Percy’s heart sank. An entire night with Annabeth, lost. He’d be stuck here in the castle where the only person he knew was Luke.

Piper seemed to notice his disappointment and said, “Don’t worry, I specifically requested you come along. Will’s coming for medical assistance, so you guys will share a tent. That doesn’t bother you, does it?”

Percy didn’t know why it should bother him, so he only shrugged his shoulders.

The parlor doors opened again and Percy was disappointed it wasn’t Annabeth. Instead, it was a girl twice as intimidating as Thalia. She was tall, with one braid over her shoulder, and already dressed in hunting equipment with her sword at one side, a hunting knife on the other, and a bow across her back.

“Reyna, you made it!” Hazel said, and rushed to greet her. All formalities were abandoned as Hazel hugged Reyna.

Reyna looked like she preferred the formalities and carefully pulled herself out of the hug. “It’s good to see you too, Princess Hazel, Princess Piper,” and she nodded in Piper’s direction.

Piper snorted. “Please, just Piper. No one calls me Princess. Except Leo,” she added under her breath.

“Reyna, I don’t believe you’ve met Lieutenant Thalia of the East.” Hazel motioned to Thalia. “Thalia, this is General Reyna of the West.”

The two women shook hands and Thalia said, “It’s possible we’ve met on the field of battle.”

Reyna’s smile was cold. “I think if we had, you wouldn’t be alive today.”

The room suddenly felt cold to Percy, and the tension was only broken by Piper’s easy laughter as she got to her feet.

“I’m going to change and try to find Annabeth,” Piper said. “Don’t start any wars while I’m gone.”

Percy knew she was talking to Reyna and Thalia, and not him, but he still shifted uncomfortably as she left. Thalia nudged his arm reassuringly.

“Oh,” Hazel said, “Reyna, this is Percy. He….” She stopped, clearly unsure how to introduce Percy. He didn’t have a title.

Well, he did. Perseus Jackson, Prince of the Seas, but he didn’t want to have his head cut off for the sake of a proper introduction. He was glad Thalia jumped in for him.

“Percy got shipwrecked in the same storm Annabeth did. Piper and Annabeth found him, and have been helping him recover. It’s why he needs to come along with Will, to make sure he gets all the proper medical treatment.”

For the second time in thirty minutes, Percy wanted to hug Thalia. They way she was looking out for him reminded him of his relationship with Tyson. He missed his brother suddenly. He hadn’t thought of Tyson at all when he left. He wondered if Tyson was worried about him.

Reyna seemed to accept Thalia’s explanation of Percy. At least, she nodded like she did. “How lucky to be found by the princess.”

Percy nodded. He was really lucky to be found by Annabeth. But he appreciated how much Piper liked him.

“He doesn’t speak,” Thalia added, and Percy realized Reyna had been waiting for some sort of verbal response.

“I see,” Reyna said, and her cold expression seemed to harden as she looked over Percy.

Hazel quickly stood. “Reyna, is everything ready for us to leave? We wouldn’t want to keep Piper waiting.”

“Of course,” Reyna said. She led them out of the parlor to the stables. The horses were ready, and Will was there, just fastening a bag before attaching it to the saddle of his horse. And Luke and Annabeth were there as well.

Percy couldn’t hear what they were saying as Luke tied Annabeth’s pack for her, but he didn’t look too happy to be left behind. Annabeth looked apologetic, but firm. Then they saw him.

“He’s going?” Luke said with a raised eyebrow.

“As my guest,” Piper said, coming from behind Percy suddenly. He noticed she’d changed into more comfortable clothes, but her hair was still in perfect curls. She linked her arm in his. “It’s my bachelorette party, after all.”

Luke looked like he might protest for a moment, but then said, “That seems fair.” He kissed Annabeth’s cheek and Percy worked very hard not to look hurt or angry. “I’ll see you tomorrow, Annabeth.”

The hunting party mounted their horses. Percy struggled to get on his, but once he was up there, he actually didn’t feel too bad. The way the horse moved beneath him reminded him of riding a wave, as unpredictable as the ocean.

As they rode out towards the forest, Percy saw the orange sun just above the treetops.

His first sunset. He only had two more to go. 

\--- --- ---

It was unusually cold on this beach after sunset, but Leo was not a fan of fire. He pulled his coat tighter and stared out at the water, too exhausted and chilled to do anything else. He’d spent all day taking apart tables and chairs and looking for trees and loose branches he could use to lash things together. He had about half of a raft. He could be done by tomorrow, and if he was lucky, be in the West just in time to miss Piper’s wedding. At least he could congratulate her and threaten the chump she was marrying. Just the obligatory threats any decent friend had to give their good friend’s husband.

There were footsteps on the sand behind him, and Leo turned to see someone wearing a hooded cloak approach him. He wasn’t sure if he thought the cloaked figure was creepier, or the disembodied broom from before.

“Hey, did you come to join the freeze-your-butt off party?” Leo asked. “Or are you going to throw more junk at me? I swear, I am trying to leave.”

The figure pulled its hood off, and Leo was stunned to see a beautiful woman underneath. No wonder she’d chased him out. He wasn’t worth a second of her time. But then why was she down on the beach now?

“Leo Valdez,” she said slowly. “You said that was your name, correct?”

“Well, Captain Leo Valdez, but yeah.”

“Captain of what?”

“For now, that raft over there.” He pointed to his half-finished project. “Unless you got a boat that’ll get me home.”

She looked Leo over for a long time, then said, “Why don’t you come inside, where it’s warm?”

“I’d prefer a boat,” he said stubbornly.

“I’d prefer a boat too,” she said, “but a boat would be a little dangerous right now.” She pointed at the horizon, and Leo saw dark storm clouds gathering. He was pretty sure they hadn’t been there before the girl walked outside.

“Fine,” he agreed, and followed her into the castle.

The girl gave him warm food, much better than the biscuits he’d eaten earlier. Then she took him to a room and told him to sleep there, until the storm passed. He did, and found sleep surprisingly easy.

But when he woke, even though he felt well-rested, it was still storming.

Leo left the comfortable bedroom and wandered the corridors of the castle. It seemed she’d put him up in the east wing. So that meant her bedroom was on the far end of the castle. Was it because she didn’t trust him?

He made his way back down to the entrance of broken mirrors. He thought about leaving to work on his raft, but the sound of the storm was loud even inside the castle. He wondered if there was even anything left of his half-finished raft, or if he’d have to start over.

Bored, he checked his teeth and his hair in the cracked mirror next to him.

“Are you hungry?” she asked, and Leo was startled to see she’d appeared at the end of the hall. How long had she been standing there?

“I am, actually.” He followed her into the dining room. It was filled with a huge table, set for many guests, but Leo hadn’t seen anyone else in the castle yet. “Do you live here alone?” he asked as they sat down to eat.

“I do,” she said quietly.

“Did you break all the mirrors in the hallway back there?”

“Yes.”

“Why?”

The girl sighed and stood, though she’d had only a bite of her porridge. “Mirrors show us only that which we wish to see. They reflect what is on the surface and I no longer wished to see lies.” She started to walk away and said, “Finish your soup, and meet me in the library.”

Great, she was beautiful and cryptic. Leo wondered what he’d done to deserve being stranded on an island with her. He missed Annabeth and Piper. At least with them, you always knew where you stood.

It took Leo a while to find the library. She needed a map of her castle for visitors. Or like, a tour guide pamphlet in the entrance. It was so easy to get turned around in this place.

He finally found the library, and there she was, sitting by the fire. She looked up at him and smiled, as if she’d only just started waiting for him. “Pick a book,” she said.

Leo raised an eyebrow. “Which one?”

She shrugged. “Anything.”

The walls were lined with books--floor to ceiling. Leo pulled one off and it turned out to be a recipe book. Nope. He tossed it aside and tried a different shelf. This one was an adventure book. That seemed reasonable.

He went back to the fire and sat down with her. “Now what?”

“Read it to me, please.”

Leo raised an eyebrow. “Look, I don’t even read books on a normal day. I think stranded on an island, this is the last thing I need to do right now.”

“Please, just until the storm passes.” she said, and Leo didn’t know how to say no to that voice. It wasn’t quite like Piper’s, but there was an unusual magic to it, something that made him want to stay here forever.

So he read. But the storm didn’t pass. He fell asleep reading and when he woke up, she was gone, and the storm was still thundering outside the windows.

Leo got up and wandered the halls again. He found her in the kitchen, cooking. 

“I thought your kitchen cooked by itself,” he said.

She looked puzzled. “Nothing works by itself.”

“What about your dustpan? Your cleaning crew?”

She shook her head. “The wind takes care of the house.”

“The wind. Right.”

Then she asked him to help, just until the storm passed, and they ended up eating freshly baked bread together. It was better than any meal Leo had ever tasted.

She remade his military cloak for her, in perfect detail while he repolished some of her furniture. It didn’t matter how many times she told him her castle wasn’t actually alive; it spooked him every time something moved, and he repolished the table as carefully as he might stroke a cat.

Leo didn’t know how long this went on for. They cooked, read books, fixed the broken grandfather clock in the library, and even redecorated the dining room. Every time he found her doing something, she asked for his help. He’d repeat his request to leave and she’d tell him he could leave when the storm passed.

Finally, one morning, Leo woke up and saw blue skies outside his window. He rushed down into the entrance hall and threw open the doors. He breathed in the smell of salty air, fresh after a storm. It was a perfect day for sailing.

He turned around and found her standing at the end of the entrance hall again.

“The storm has passed,” she said, “but before you leave, I have something I need to show you.”

Leo took one last glance outside, then thought he at least owed her a parting conversation. She’d hosted him all this time without asking for much in return. So he followed her up the stairs and to the end of the west wing, back into the torn-up bedroom.

“Do not touch the rose,” she said.

Leo stared at it, and realized it was already beginning to wilt. “Did I do that?” he asked, shocked.

“Yes and no,” the girl said with a sigh. “Your touch did not do that, however your arrival here has begun to speed the end of a very long story. Perhaps, if I can get you home in time, we can still save it.”

There she went, being cryptic again. “Do you ever give straight answers?”

The girl looked startled. “I try very hard to be direct and honest.”

“Well, you’re terrible at it.”

She frowned and picked up a small, hand-held mirror that opened and closed from the bedside table. She handed it to Leo.

“I thought you said you hated mirrors.”

“This is the only mirror that shows the truth,” she answered. “It can show you what has been, what is, and if you are lucky, what will be.”

Leo stared at it, and his own face stared right back. It didn’t look like a fancy mirror or magical mirror at all. “Does it show me if I get back home? Do I get my job back, or has Annabeth found a new Captain for the Argo?”

The girl shook her head. “You can ask, but it may not tell you. It is better to concern yourself with what is. This mirror will allow you to see through illusions.”

“Why do I need to see through illusions?”

“You fought in the war between the East and the West, did you not?” she asked.

“Yeah. Pretty much everyone did.”

“What was the war about?”

Leo wasn’t sure. He’d thought about it, of course, even asked Annabeth more than once. There were vague notions of honor and homeland, and something about being wronged by the West. He wasn’t even sure what they’d gotten out of peace, other than an end to the fighting.

“I don’t know,” he finally admitted.

“The war was for nothing,” she said.

“I lost friends in that war. Good friends. Their sacrifice--”

“Then I hate to tell you this even more. 

“There were once three sorceresses who craved power,” she tapped the mirror and Leo saw not his own reflection, but the silhouettes of three women, “so they started a war between the East and the West, thinking if the two nations destroyed each other, they could take over in their place. They were illusionists, and with tricks and deceit, caused the rulers of the East and the rulers of the West to attack each other. There was a prophecy laid on seven children of the war who would rise up and defeat the sorceresses for good. So the sorceresses set to work preventing the children from gaining power. They could not kill the children directly, but they could weaken them, and prevent the children from gaining enough power to fight. So they cursed some,” Leo saw Thalia and a blond boy he didn’t know, “They banished others,” he saw a boy with dark hair and green eyes, “Some were kidnapped,” another dark-haired boy, “and some were orphaned.”

In the mirror, Leo saw his face and someone he didn’t know.

“My mother died… because of these sorceresses?”

She ignored his question, or maybe she just didn’t want to answer it. “The war went on for thirteen years, and would have continued, but the sorceresses lost their power. Treaties were negotiated and peace was reestablished. But the sorceresses weren’t done. Today is the last day the seven children will have the power to act.”

“Today? Why today?”

“Because today, the Prince of the West turns sixteen, and he will either overcome his curse, or he will be ended by it. Without him, the prophecy falls apart. Without any one of you, the prophecy falls apart.”

Leo shook his head. “I’ve been here for… for days, at least. Maybe a whole month. Piper’s wedding would have been a long time ago.”

“You have been here for one night. Time is as much an illusion as anything else. It can be bent, it can be changed. Your friend Thalia has experienced this as well. It is the only thing keeping her alive.”

Leo stared at the magic mirror, still not comprehending. His head was swimming. He’d known Thalia for years, and sure she’d never looked older, but he’d just thought it was good health. But she was cursed? And Piper’s fiance was cursed? No wonder no one had met him. And Leo… Leo was orphaned because of these sorceresses. If that was meant to make him afraid to fight, it only made him more determined. But how could any of it be true? He wished he had Annabeth here. She always had more answers than he did.

“Let’s say, for a minute,” he started slowly, “that I am involved in some prophecy, and my mother’s accidental death in a burning building was part of some larger plot that involved cursing princesses. If the Prince of the West is another person in this prophecy, who are the other five?”

“There were always several options. There are always options with prophecies. Some have been successfully excluded from the prophecy because of the sorceress’s work.”

“Dead, you mean?”

“Not always dead, just not able to fight.”

“But they did manage to kill some?”

She looked like she was in a lot of pain as she nodded her head. “One was killed in the war, yes. They tried to kill others, but they were not so successful.”

Leo thought of all the times he and Annabeth had nearly avoided dying in the war. Had it really just been war, or did it have to do with this prophecy thing? “Okay, well if I’m one, and the Prince of the West is another, who is left?”

“The prince who was banished from his home,” the mirror showed the face of the boy with dark hair and green eyes, “the girl who will never know peace,” and Leo saw Annabeth in the mirror, “the princess with no freedom,” and he saw Piper, “the boy with no power,” and Leo saw the other kid who had been orphaned, “and the princesses with no hope.” The last girl was someone else Leo had never met, but if she was a princess, she must’ve been the Princess of the West. She was beautiful.

“Annabeth and Piper and a princess? Look, I don’t know who you think I am, but I’m just some kid who joined the navy during the war. I’m not special. They’re princesses and commanders and--What does this have to do with me?”

The girl sighed. “I cannot help you anymore than that. It’s time for you to leave. You have to warn the princesses what is happening before it’s too late, and you have to make sure the Prince of the West survives through his sixteenth birthday. There are no other options.”

Leo pressed his hand to his head. He wished he was like Piper and he could just know whether to trust people or not, but he was so terrible with people. He tried to think of questions Annabeth might ask. She always made up for her inability to trust people on instinct by asking intelligent questions.

“So, you’re saying you can definitely get me a boat.”

“Yes.”

“Why are you helping me?”

The girl swallowed hard. “That is a far longer story.”

“Tell me,” Leo insisted. “If you can bend time, it won’t take any time at all, right?”

She shook her head. “I have bent time as long as I can, to protect you from Circe’s storm. She’ll be weak now, and you should have enough time to get safely to shore. But once there, you’ll have to beware the sorceress of the earth. You need to unite the seven. Your friends Annabeth and Piper are in danger.”

That was all Leo needed to hear. “How do I help them?”

“If you leave now, you should arrive at the palace by tomorrow night. If the Prince of the West survives, all seven children will be under the same roof for the first time. You have to bring them together. If he does not survive….” she looked down at the mirror, which was now reflecting only the ceiling. “If he does not survive, you need to warn your friends that the sorceresses will be coming. You can at least be prepared to defend yourselves. Perhaps… perhaps his sister will live, but I can’t be sure.” She picked the mirror up, closed it, and put it in his hands. She left the room.

Leo followed her out of her room down to the entrance hall. “Who are these sorceresses?” he asked. “How do you know all this?”

“There is Circe, who draws power from the sea, Pasiphae who draws power from the earth, and Calypso, who draws power from the winds. You will only have to face Circe and Pasiphae. The third sorceresses was defeated long ago.”

Leo didn’t like the way she said that, like the way he and Annabeth talked about hard won battles, battles where he’d lost good friends. And he didn’t like the way she avoided the second part of his question. “You didn’t tell me how you know all this.”

She glanced over her shoulder at him. Her face wasn’t just sad; she was tired, exhausted. “The mirror will tell you anything, if you ask it.”

“There you go again, being cryptic.” But he smiled as he said it, and she smiled back.

She pushed open the doors and on the shore was a raft with a sail, already waiting for him. Leo couldn’t understand how. His half-finished one was still lying on the sand, though torn up and half-buried from the storm. Leo approached the ocean and noticed that the girl wouldn’t go near the water. He was going to have to step in it by himself. Odd. He’d never been afraid of the sea before.

“You never did tell me your name,” he said as he climbed onto the raft.

She looked sad as she answered. “Calypso.”

And before Leo could voice his absolute confusion, a gust of wind carried the raft far away from the island.


	5. Grace and Love

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Graces begin to fall in love, despite the fact that it could kill them both.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you everyone for your comments. You've been so encouraging and i am SO CLOSE to this fic being done. I literally have 4 sections left to finish and I can't wait to share it all with you.

Piper was a vegetarian. Had been for years.

So when her mother said, “Piper, what would you like to eat at your wedding feast?” Piper had said, “Fresh fruit sounds like a nice appetizer. Maybe steamed vegetables and mushrooms for the main course, prepared with a wine sauce. And we can finish off with some pie for dessert.”

She had definitely not said she would be part of some ceremonial hunt.

But her mother insisted that Piper follow all the traditions of the West, since she was marrying a prince of the West. So instead of a girls’ night out party, they were combining the traditional western hunt with the eastern girl’s night. She was absolutely sure she would not be making any of the kills. She didn’t care if Hazel told her it was bad luck for the bride not to participate. No kills and no meat for her.

They stopped to set up camp in a clearing in the forest. Piper was impressed with how easily Percy had ridden along with them. She’d expected him to be uncomfortable on a horse--he looked so uncomfortable everywhere else--but he’d been quite confident once he was in the saddle.

She caught him gesturing to Will as he dismounted, and Will laughed.

She was glad other people found Percy as funny as she did. There was something about him that reminded her of Leo. It was part of why she was so insistent he tag along with them. She missed Leo, and it wasn’t that she was trying to replace Leo--her heart told her Leo was still alive--but she needed someone around who could crack a joke, someone who didn’t make her feel like tomorrow was the end of the world.

And she knew Percy liked Annabeth.

Okay, so Annabeth clearly liked that Luke guy, but Piper preferred Percy. And best friends always had better instincts. Even Thalia had warmed up to Percy, and Thalia never warmed up to anybody.

Once the horses were secured, Reyna grabbed her bow. “Shall we?” she asked.

Thalia also grabbed her bow. “The moon has just risen. Perfect timing.”

“Hazel,” Piper suggested, “why don’t you go with Will? I’ll stay here at the camp. Get a fire going, find something to eat for me. Annabeth can show Percy how to hunt, since she’s like the only person he can talk to.”

“I should stay here,” Will said. “If anyone gets hurt, you need to be able to find me quickly.”

“Come with us, Piper,” Hazel said. “I won’t make you shoot anything.”

Piper shook her head. “No thanks. If I’m going out, I’m going to find us some nice vegetables and mushrooms to eat for dinner tonight. Maybe even a fresh fruit dessert.”

“There’s a plentiful range of berries in these forests,” Reyna said. “You should have no trouble with your search.”

“I’m worried about you going alone,” Thalia said. “Take Annabeth.”

Piper laughed. “I’ll be fine. Annabeth’s going to want to hunt, I’m sure.”

Annabeth shrugged her shoulders. “I don’t mind. I’d prefer you were safe.”

“I won’t go far,” Piper insisted. “Really, I’d prefer to be by myself.” She’d spent all day being a perfect princess and ambassador. She wanted a couple hours to be herself.

Thalia, Reyna, and Hazel took their bows and hunting knives into the moonlit forest. Will made himself busy by putting up the tents, and Annabeth took Percy into the forest, showing him how a bow and arrow worked, since he acted like he’d never seen one before.

Piper headed off in a completely different direction, hoping to avoid any innocent animals being slaughtered in front of her.

The forest was full of broken branches and fallen leaves from the storm the other day. It actually made for a poor day of hunting, but a lot of fresh food was easily accessible, having been blown to the ground by the strong winds.

And Piper loved the smell of the damp forest. She loved not being in a castle with her mother telling her what to wear and how to behave and reminding her that she was a princess who was betrothed, not a ruffian who lived in a tent. If Piper had her way, she would absolutely be a ruffian in a tent.

A wild rabbit crossed into her path. She clucked at it encouragingly and it came closer. Animals trusted Piper. She found the same way she could get someone to give her what she wanted, she could get animals to listen to her too. The only person whose mind she couldn’t change was her mother.

Piper was scratching the bunny behind its ears and asking it where the best carrots were, knowing it wouldn’t answer, but thinking it was a polite question to ask the bunny, when there was a crash in the underbrush. Piper heard a loud screeching noise and something charging towards her. The rabbit ran for its life. Piper would’ve done the same but she tripped on a fallen branch.

A boar came charging out of the trees headed straight for her. Piper threw her hands up to shield her face from the hooves, but the thunderous crashing stopped suddenly and the boar shrieked.

Piper opened her eyes to see the boar speared, stuck fast to the ground. Its legs still flailed, trying to run away and it shrieked in pain. Piper felt sorry for it and was about to try to save it when a boy stepped out of the forest. He took his hunting knife from his belt and stabbed the boar in the throat. Piper scrambled backwards as the blood started to run towards her. She wiped a few tears from her eyes and stared at the boy who’d just killed the boar.

The boy had blonde hair and piercing blue eyes. He wore a purple tunic and carried a sword and a bow. A scar tugged at the corner of his mouth so he looked like he was always flashing a charming smile. He was, surprisingly, very cute.

“Are you okay?” he asked. “Are you hurt?”

Piper looked down at her knees and hands, scraped from her fall. “I’m okay.”

The boy tilted his head in a way that reminded her of a dog. She might’ve laughed if she wasn’t already so sad.

“If you’re okay, why are you crying?”

She shook her head. “I just don’t like--” She gestured to the dead boar. “I don’t mean to sound ungrateful,” she added hastily. “Thank you, honestly, for saving my life.”

“You’re welcome. I don’t meet anyone out here, so I am glad you weren’t hurt.”

“That might be because this forest belongs to the King and Queen of the West, and only the royal family is allowed to hunt here.” Piper wondered who this boy was. He wasn’t part of the royal family, or she would’ve met him already. He looked dirty enough to live out here, though. She instantly liked him, even if he did hunt animals.

“Are you part of the royal family, then?” he asked her.

Piper wasn’t quite sure how to answer that one, so she just said, “Well, I’m not hunting, am I?”

The boy laughed. “You’re a lot funnier than Lupa.”

“Who’s Lupa?”

He seemed unsure of his answer for a moment, then just said, “She raised me.”

Piper knew a lot of children who were raised by people who weren’t their parents. The war had torn a lot of families apart.

“I should probably get back to my camp,” Piper said and stood. She swooned as she put weight on her left foot, and suddenly the boy’s arms were around her waist.

“Where are you hurt?” he asked.

“My ankle,” she said bitterly. “I must’ve twisted it on that stupid root. It’s okay. We have a medic at camp for this.” Maybe she could convince her mother she couldn’t walk down the aisle. At the least, dancing tomorrow was out of the question.

“Is your camp far?” he asked.

She bit down on her lip. “A little….”

“My cottage isn’t far. I’ll take you there, and splint it for you.”

“Are you sure?” she asked with a frown.

“Positive,” and he put one arm behind her knees and the other behind her back and lifted her off the ground. “Lupa will be hunting for a while longer, so we’ll be okay.”

“Is Lupa not a fan of company?”

The boy seemed to hesitate with his answer. He finally said, “She’s protective of me. She doesn’t trust strangers.”

“You saved me life. I hardly think we’re strangers.”

The boy laughed. “I guess that makes you my first friend.”

Piper pushed a branch out of the way as they walked, so he wouldn’t hit his head on it. “Really?”

“I told you, no one comes in this forest.”

Piper suddenly noticed how lonely this boy’s eyes were. No wonder he’d been so quick to help her. “Well, I’m glad we’re friends now.” 

He stared down at her and she knew he was trying to puzzle out her inconsistent eye-color. She’d seen that face on several young men, but this boy didn’t try to hide his curiosity the way they did.

Then he looked up and said, “Here it is.” She sort of wished he hadn’t stopped staring.

It was a quaint little thing, plenty big enough for a boy and his adopted mother. Piper certainly preferred it to a large castle.

The boy shouldered the door open and carried Piper in. The cottage was a single room, completely bare, with little more than a pump sink and a fireplace. A set of stairs went up to what Piper assumed was a bedroom.

He set her down next to the fireplace, which had no fire burning. It wasn’t especially cold out during summer, so she wasn’t uncomfortable, except her ankle had started throbbing.

Piper watched the boy as he got water for her. Then he disappeared upstairs and came down with a purple sheet he started ripping into strips. She hoped it wasn’t his bed sheet. He used these strips to wrap her ankle. It wasn’t too swollen, and with the wrap supporting her, she felt fine to walk. Only she didn’t quite want to leave.

“Have you always lived here?” she asked, and sipped at the water he’d given her. He’d served it in a bowl, which she thought odd, but she didn’t criticize his hospitality.

The boy nodded, then frowned. “As long as I can remember, at least.”

Piper wondered if the King of the West knew there was a strange boy living in the forest.

“Where are you from?” he asked.

“The East,” she answered honestly.

This startled him. “I thought there was a war--”

“We haven’t been at war for a year. There was a… negotiation for peace.” She shrugged her shoulders and tried not to look bitter. She didn’t want him to know she was a princess, and she didn’t want him to know she was engaged. She couldn’t say why she was afraid to tell him she was engaged, but it was true. “People finally tired of fighting, I guess, and took measures to ensure we wouldn’t fight again.”

“That seems smart.”

Piper twisted her hair around her finger and had a hard time meeting the boy’s eyes. “I guess so.” She quickly changed the subject. “So you’ve never left the forest?”

He shook his head. “Lupa says it’s dangerous out there, because of the war.”

“But the war’s over. Leave with me.”

He wasn’t too sure about this. “I’d have to ask Lupa.”

“There’s a ball tomorrow night,” Piper said suddenly, not sure why she said it. “Everyone in the West is invited, so you should be there.” She knew it was bad, to invite a boy she was starting to like to her own engagement celebration, but Piper did a lot of things without thinking them through. “It’s in the castle, just outside the forest.”

He smiled. “That sounds like a lot of fun. If Lupa lets me, I’ll--” The boy was cut off by a low growl.

Piper turned and saw a wolf standing in the doorway of the cottage. She stifled a scream.

The boy did not seem frightened. He quickly got to his feet and advanced, unarmed, even as the wolf growled at him. “No, Lupa, she’s a friend. She’s not a witch. She got hurt and--”

The wolf growled a little fiercer.

When Piper realized that “Lupa” was the person who raised the boy, or rather, the wolf who raised him, she said, “Please,” with her best princess-manners and charm, and stood. “He was only trying to help.”

The wolf snapped and jumped at her, but the boy pushed the wolf back. “I’m sorry,” he said over his shoulder. “Go. Please.” He grabbed for his spear. “Upstairs.”

Piper limped her way upstairs. It was a bedroom, with only a bed of animal skins on the floor and an open window. A tree touched the window, and Piper grabbed the smooth bark, clearly used for many secret escapes. Piper wondered if the boy had been escaping the attacking wolf, or just sneaking out as she had done so many times in her life.

Climbing down the tree was easy. Running once she got to the ground was harder. But the sounds of the snarling wolf only grew more distant as she got farther away from the cottage.

She wasn’t entirely sure where she was running, but she found the trail after a few minutes. Part of her wondered if she should go back for the boy, but she didn’t know what she could do armed with a sprained ankle and a small hunting knife. And if the wolf really had raised him, surely he wouldn’t be too hurt.

She made up her mind that, fiance or no, if she didn’t see him at the ball tomorrow, she would come back and make sure he was alright.

\--- --- ---

Thalia was feeling pretty proud of herself. She’d killed ten pheasants and one wild turkey. The only problem was that Reyna had also killed ten pheasants and one wild turkey.

The moonlight filtered through the leaves of the trees, the only light source for their hunt. Thalia had been hoping Reyna might be disadvantaged by the lack of light that Thalia was used to hunting in, but they proved to be equally matched.

Hazel led the way along the path, her four pheasants slung over her shoulder. “It’s growing late,” she said, and looked up at the sky. “But we still haven’t found a main course for tomorrow. It’ll be bad luck to return without anything.”

“We ought to find a boar or a stag,” Reyna said. “The forest should have them.”

“I’ll find one,” Thalia said quickly. She was not to be outdone by a general from the West.

Reyna snorted, and notched an arrow. Thalia did the same.

They picked their way deeper into the woods. Hazel seemed to have no trouble navigating off the path. It was like she knew the forest by heart somehow. But Hazel had always been good at navigating her kingdom. It was like the Western Lands were sealed in her heart somehow.

Finally, Hazel stopped. “It is very late, and we have a long day tomorrow. Perhaps we should go back. Maybe we’ll find something along the way?”

Thalia was just about to grudgingly agree--she was tired, but had no desire to admit she was tired to Reyna--when she heard a pricking in the leaves ahead.

“Wait,” she said, and drew the string of her bow.

Reyna did the same and peered into the forest ahead of them. “I don’t see it,” she whispered.

Thalia drew her bowstring to her ear. She let the arrow go and there was a thud in the trees ahead. She worked very hard to maintain her composure, but she felt like jumping for joy and rubbing her kill in Reyna’s face.

The three girls walked towards the site of Thalia’s kill and found a stag, struck straight in the chest, dead on impact. It was the perfect hunt. Thalia said a silent word of thanks to Lady Artemis and retrieved her arrow.

“Congratulations,” Reyna said, and there was not a hint of bitterness in her voice. She held out her hand, and Thalia shook it.

Thalia took the front legs and Reyna took the back, and together they followed Hazel back to camp.

Percy and Annabeth had already returned from their hunt, but it looked as if they hadn’t caught anything. They were just getting a fire going. Piper sat nearby, and Will was looking over her ankle.

Thalia dropped the stag and sat down beside Piper. “What happened?”

Piper waved her off. “I’m fine, really. It’s just a small sprain. I tripped.”

Thalia would have asked Will for his opinion, but Reyna cleared her throat, and she remembered they still had to hang their catch in the trees, out of reach of other predators. 

Thalia tied a knot around the stag’s legs and pulled the end of the rope over a tree branch, high enough that they could keep the stag several feet off the ground. Reyna helped her pull, and together they knotted the rope around the tree trunk. The stag tugged dangerously on the knot.

Percy got up from the campfire and grabbed a spare bit of rope. He used it to show Thalia a different knot, and pointed to the tree.

“That looks far more effective,” Reyna agreed. She smiled gently at Percy and held the rope steady while Percy helped Thalia re-knot it.

“For all your knot-tying skills, no success in the hunt?” Thalia asked as they returned to the campfire. She and Reyna each took a pheasant and began preparing it to be cooked.

Percy looked embarrassed and shook his head.

“For someone who can’t talk,” Annabeth said, “he’s a noisy hunter.” But she smiled as she said it, and so did Percy.

Thalia couldn’t help but feel pleased. She was protective of Piper and Annabeth, but she could accept Percy. She liked him better than Luke, at any rate. Not only did she trust Piper’s judgement of someone’s character, but she preferred Percy’s honest lack of manners to Luke’s perfect politeness. And since Percy had trusted her with his secret, and she’d trusted him with hers, she felt like a bond had formed between them. She was determined to see him safely back home.

She eyed Piper as she hopped back to the fire with Will and sat down. Piper didn’t say anything, and started putting tiny braids into her perfectly curled hair. She didn’t seem to be paying attention to anything else, until she asked, suddenly, “Hazel, are there many wolves in these forests?”

“Oh, yes, but they leave humans alone. The West has a good relationship with the wolves.”

Piper hummed thoughtfully.

“Did you see a wolf?” Thalia asked.

“Yes,” Piper said, her voice distant. “It was off in the trees. It didn’t bother me.”

Thalia made eye contact with Annabeth, and she was sure they both knew Piper was lying. Thalia just didn’t know why.

Percy picked up one of the pheasant feathers and handed it to Piper. She stared at it for a moment, then laughed.

“No, I only braid in feathers as signs victories in dueling.”

Percy frowned then, handed the feather to Hazel, who laughed and shook her head.

“Braids are not a headache I need tonight. Which reminds me--Traditionally, laurels go to the victor of the hunt.” She dug into her bag. “I know I asked someone to pack them.” She dug her arm into her bag, but came up empty handed.

“I think I saw some in mine,” Annabeth said, and reached into her tent for her bag.

Thalia wasn’t too big on honors, especially not after so many years of military service in a war she didn’t understand, but she knew traditions were important to the West, so she waited patiently for Annabeth to retrieve the laurels.

“They must’ve been put in my bag by mistake,” Annabeth said as she handed the gilded leaves to Hazel.

“This is why I never let servants pack my bags for me,” Piper said.

Hazel stood and walked over to Thalia. “For victory in the hunt. May it be a sign of a prosperous fortune for both the weddings and the relationship between the East and the West.”

Will poured wine for them and passed the goblets around the campfire. Hazel set the laurels on Thalia’s head and the girls, Percy, and Will, toasted her victory.

Thalia sipped at the wine and set her goblet aside. She wasn’t much for drinking, especially not when she had a knife in her hand to finish preparing the pheasants. Even with just that one sip, her head was already throbbing.

She looked up from the pheasant in her hand to see Annabeth teaching Percy some signs by the firelight. Then her vision tipped, and she quickly set her knife down, for fear she might pass out on top of it. She wondered briefly if there had been something in her wine before pitching forward. Someone’s hand caught her chest before she hit the fire and she heard Piper and Hazel shouting.

She heard Reyna’s voice in her ear, and Annabeth arguing urgently. Thalia couldn’t make out what they were saying. The pain in her head was drowning everything out. Her vision was white and she thought she might be sick.

Then, suddenly, the pain was gone. Her vision cleared and the throbbing receded. Reyna and Annabeth came into focus. Reyna had the crown of laurels in her hand. Will helped her lay down.

Reyna held the laurels gingerly. “An odd place for poison.” She looked over Annabeth’s hands, then Hazel’s. “It does not seem to be affecting anyone else.”

Annabeth took the laurels and placed them on her head. She winced and quickly took it off. “They’re constricting. It’s magic.”

“I didn’t!” Hazel said quickly. “You know I wouldn’t!”

“No one suspects you,” Reyna said quietly. Thalia noticed Reyna’s eyes drift over to Percy, who was watching in complete shock.

Thalia wanted to protest on Percy’s behalf, but her voice wouldn’t work very well. She was faintly aware of Will taking her pulse and checking her reflexes.

“I doubt anyone here is responsible,” Annabeth said in a clear, calm voice, that radiated reason. “It seems odd that someone would plant a cursed object in our packs, not knowing which of us would receive it. It could have been meant for any one of us.”

As usual, Annabeth’s words were as calming as Piper’s charm-speak could be. Thalia had always thought they would make the best pair of ambassadors.

“So who was it meant for?” Reyna asked.

“Our only choice is to wait and hope the culprit gives himself away on our return,” Annabeth said.

Thalia tried to sit up, but Will pushed her down.

“I’m fine,” she protested.

“I don’t care,” he said. “Bedrest for you until we leave in the morning. The same for Piper. Reyna, will you help me carry her?”

Will, for all his friendliness and charm, was impossible to argue with, especially when he was performing medical duties. He insisted on the strictest care regimens for his patients, and Thalia knew he would sit outside her tent until he was sure she was asleep.

He and Reyna lifted her and took her into her tent.

“I’ll bring you some broth, once the pheasants are cooked,” Reyna promised her.

Thalia thanked her, and didn’t feel an ounce of bitterness about it.


	6. Where You Come From

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jason finds out his past; Leo discovers more secrets than he'd dreamed of.

Jason Grace pushed Lupa away from the door. She charged again and bit his arm. Jason threw her off and this time when she pounced he hit her back with his spear. She fell by the fire and got to her feet. Her teeth were bared and her fur raised, but she didn’t attack again. Jason remained between her and the door. He knew Lupa could track the girl’s scent easily, and he did not want her to get any closer.

Lupa spoke in Jason’s mind. _“I have warned you about getting between a wolf and her kill.”_

“She was a friend,” Jason said aloud. “I won’t let you hurt her.”

_“She was a witch. It was in her voice. You should not trust her.”_

Jason threw his spear down. “Why are you so suspicious of everyone? I can take care of myself. You’ve taught me everything I am, everything I know. Why don’t you let me trust anyone?”

Jason was prepared for Lupa to pounce again, prepared to wrestle her to the ground. But after a moment, she lowered her guard. She stopped sneering and walked over to him. She licked the wound on his arm. Jason accepted her apology.

_“We are leaving the cottage at dawn.”_

“Because of her?” Jason asked in shock. He picked up a scrap of the fabric he’d ripped to bandage up the girl, and wet it to clean his wound.

_“This day has been a long time coming. You will be sixteen tomorrow, and it is time for you to go home.”_

“Home?” Jason echoed. This was his home. It wasn’t much of a home, but it was all he’d ever known. He had no mother, no father, no friends. Just Lupa. He knew nothing but this life. What else was there?

_“To your father and your sister and your betrothed.”_

“My--” Jason took a minute to run through that list “--betrothed?”

_“You are a prince. You were born in the beginning of a harsh war. A prophecy was given when you were two years old, a curse, that you would be killed before the end of your sixteenth birthday, so your father sent you into hiding. I have raised you here, where the war would not hurt you, and you would survive. I was sent a message from your father a year ago. You were promised in marriage at the end of the war, to a girl from the opposing country, in order to maintain peace.”_

Jason couldn’t help but laugh. “You sound like you don’t approve.”

_“My opinion of how your father runs a country is neither here nor there. Bandage your wounds. Prepare dinner. We’ll leave at dawn.”_

Jason watched Lupa leave the cottage. He was about to run after her, worried she would chase the girl, but she only sat at the door and licked his blood off of her paws.

As Jason cleaned and bandaged his wounds, he took the time to process what Lupa had told him. He supposed he wasn’t entirely surprised. He’d always known he wasn’t born in the woods to a wolf. He’d just never suspected he was royalty. And he’d never expected to be engaged. Would he get married tonight? That seemed like an unfair thing to spring on a guy. What was the princess like? What if he didn’t like her?

He supposed that didn’t matter. Lupa had said it was for peace. Jason thought that was a noble cause.

He would have to forget about the girl in the woods. He’d been foolish to think of her as a friend, to think he might fall in love with her. Lupa was probably right about her. Lupa was right about everything. He would just have to trust Lupa, and never see the girl again.

\--- --- ---

Leo wouldn’t call his flat little raft a cruise ship or anything, but for what it was, he was impressed with how fast it went. That, and he never wanted for anything. If he was hungry, there was a bird dropping cooked fish to him. If he was thirsty, a pelican came by with water in its mouth. That had been gross at first, but Leo knew it was better to trust pelican water than the saltwater.

He didn’t know where the birds came from, because there was no land in sight, but he guessed they were from Calypso. Sorceress of the wind.

Leo flopped down on his raft and groaned. What a bombshell to drop on him right before leaving. He had enough to process, knowing that the war was for nothing, his friends were in trouble, he was part of some big prophecy, his mother’s death wasn’t an accident--he didn’t need to know that the girl who had taken care of him for however long he’d been in that castle was one of those crazy sorceresses who’d started the war in the first place.

Leo opened the mirror and saw his own reflection. She’d said the mirror would tell him anything he wanted to know. Was that her way of telling him to ask it? For what felt like the hundredth time, Leo wished for Annabeth or Piper to tell him what to do. He wasn’t a leader. What was Calypso thinking, asking all this of him?

“Who killed my mother?” Leo asked the mirror. It wasn’t the question he meant to ask, but it was the one that came out anyway.

His reflection in the mirror shimmered, and Leo almost closed it, too afraid watch this night over again. But he let it play.

He saw his mother’s workshop, where she made horseshoes and hubcaps, and worked the forge as well as any male blacksmith Leo had ever met. He saw himself there too, a small boy, playing around the hot irons and heavy hammers, completely carefree.

They’d told him she must’ve forgotten to put out the fire at the end of the night, but Leo remembered her doing it. And now, he watched her pour water over the coals, as she did at the end of the day, and the room filled with white smoke.

Leo gripped the mirror tightly and watched the tiny Leo--well, tinier Leo--and his mother ascend the stairs to their apartment above her shop.

But as soon as the white smoke cleared, Leo saw the coals, still lit. That didn’t make any sense. Then he remembered what Calypso had said about the mirror showing truth, not illusions. So had the fire going out just been an illusion? But he hadn’t asked the mirror how his mother had died--he knew that part. He remembered very clearly smelling smoke, and her throwing him to a bystander out the window. He remembered falling, watching her through the window. Calypso’s words about time being an illusion came back to him, and he wondered if that fall had been stretched by a sorceress, forcing him to sear the image into his memory, instead of letting it pass in the flash that it should have.

He wasn’t about to watch that part over again. But just before Leo could put down the mirror, the image left the shop. Leo saw, instead, a woman in a dark dress with gold bangles on her arms. She was as beautiful as Calypso, and older in a way that didn’t show in wrinkles or gray hair, but in power. She stood and watched as Leo’s home caught fire.

Then Leo saw, from a distance, his mother appear in the window of the burning house. He saw himself be thrown from the window, only to be caught by a girl in a white dress.

The girl set him down and walked quickly to the woman in black. Leo had always wondered why whoever had caught him hadn’t stayed to help him. He’d always wondered if it had been an angel, or someone who disappeared. He didn’t understand how he’d been caught by a stranger then found alone by their neighbor’s niece.

Now he knew. Calypso had caught him. She seemed younger, but not younger like, “this was a long time ago” younger. Younger like, she wasn’t nearly so tired as she had been when he met her at the castle.

He could hear the roaring fire in the mirror, but over that, he heard Calypso, pleading with the woman in black.

“Pasiphae, we cannot do this.”

“You had no guilt when it was soldiers dying in a war.”

“These are children. They are not old enough to decide.”

“You are young and weak. Do you want power or not?”

“Not at the cost of the lives of children,” she shouted and pointed at the burning building. A blast of wind swept through the street. The fire surged with the gust. Calypso gasped and the winds suddenly died down.

Pasiphae’s smile wasn’t really a smile at all. It was a cold, cruel glare, with upturned corners of her mouth. “Will you stand against us?”

“I will,” Calypso said defiantly.

And the mirror shimmered. It returned to Leo’s reflection.

“No! Show me more!” he said.

So the mirror did.

He saw a woman in robes the color of the sea, and realized she must be Circe, whisper promises of safety to a woman on the beach. The woman thrust her four-year-old toddler under the water. 

He saw Pasiphae in a throne room, decorated in gold and purple, the colors of the West, cursing a toddler that looked strangely like Thalia, and a newborn baby boy. 

He saw Pasiphae again, in a darker throne room, still decorated in purples and golds, snatch a baby from its cradle. 

He saw a woman in a purple military uniform, with long, dark hair and eyes drawn back, fall on a spear in the midst of battle. He saw a boy who was clearly her son receive a medal in her honor, while the spear-thrower took a satchel of gold from Pasiphae. 

He watched a girl with a golden tiara and robes of purple lead a charge of archers until she was shot down. 

He saw Annabeth braving a storm, conjured by a woman in robes the color of the sea. 

Then he saw Calypso, in her white gown, her face worn, as she fought the storm off with her own winds. It helped, but the ship nearly capsized twice, and if it weren’t for Annabeth shouting orders to her first mate in the rigging, the ship would have been lost. Leo suddenly recognized himself in the rigging.

More than once, Calypso had saved his life.

Then he saw Calypso at the base of a tower, tucked into a hidden valley. She picked a budding rose from the garden below and he heard her whisper, “You are tied to this earth. You will bloom with peace and wilt with war.” Slowly, in her hand, the rosebud began to open.

Leo saw her take the rose to her castle. She walked into her hall of perfect mirrors and to her bedroom, as neat as the rest of the castle had been. Leo wondered when she’d gone nuts and broken everything.

He didn’t have to wait long for the mirror to answer.

Calypso had just placed the rose under the bell jar when Circe appeared on her balcony. Where Pasiphae had been cold and calm confronting Calypso, Circe looked as furious as her storms.

“Why did you stop that storm? It could have killed two children of the prophecy and protected our future!”

“Leave, Circe,” Calypso said. “The war is ending. Thirteen years you and Pasiphae have worked to tear down both kingdoms. Aren’t you tired of it all?”

“Pasiphae said you had weakened. I hoped you had only shifted moods. The wind can be fickle.”

Calypso laughed. “The wind is as constant as the sea. It is only my strength that waxes and wanes.”

“So today it is waning.”

“Would you like to test me and find out?”

Leo was terrified of the anger that flashed in Calypso’s eyes. He hoped he never did anything to offend her like that. But also, he wanted to see her tear Circe down.

Circe, however, seemed to have gained some judgement. She took a step back. “You can’t escape what you’ve done. It was your whispers that helped start this war. You carried rumor on winds and began the fighting. A change of heart, saving a child from a fire or a girl from a storm won’t redeem what you’ve already done.”

“I know what I’ve done.”

“Then finish what you started.”

“I am finishing this,” Calypso shouted. A gust of wind burst through the bedroom, knocking over frames, tearing through curtains, smashing through dressers. “I am ending this war now. I am stopping what I started.”

Circe shielded her face from the blow until it died down. “If you insist on living with your mistakes, then I’ll leave you with a perpetual reminder of them.” Circe reached into her robes and threw an oyster at Calypso. It stopped just short, hovering in the wind.

“Leave me.”

And Circe did. She disappeared into the ocean below.

Calypso took the oyster and opened it. It became a mirror in her hands. She looked into it and began to sob.


	7. The Second Sunrise

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Percy's second day with Annabeth; Will takes his job of helping people very seriously; Hazel is not ready to make her choice

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We're halfway through! I'll probably try to post it all by the end of the month, so except an update every couple of days.

The sunrise made Annabeth grumpy. Last night’s excitement had drained her, and she wasn’t ready to face today, especially not so early. And she’d slept uneasily. She didn’t like the sounds of the forest. She missed the waves rushing and the breeze through the window of her home.

She would’ve gone back to sleep, but Will came to check on Piper and Thalia, so Annabeth climbed out of their tent. 

She found Percy just getting up as well, probably awoken by Will.

“Sleep okay?” she asked.

Percy smiled and shook his head. He patted at the ground and frowned.

Annabeth laughed. “I sleep better with the sea rocking me to sleep.”

Percy nodded, his green eyes suddenly bright.

She loved and hated the way he did that. All it took was her smile or a little bit of laughter and Percy would light up like the break of dawn after a heavy storm. It was clear he adored her, but to what end? She barely knew him. Not that she knew Luke any better, but Luke didn’t look at her the way Percy did, like his whole world depended on her. Luke was reasonably interested in her, the way someone ought to feel about someone they just met. The way she sort of felt about Percy. 

But the way she felt about Luke, well, if anything she was disproportionately interested in him. He had saved her life. Just as she had saved Percy’s.

Last night, though, she hadn’t thought of Luke once.

When she’d realized Percy could not move quietly through the woods, and Annabeth had given up the hunt, she’d just talked. She’d talked about everything, really. She’d told him about her mother and joining the military. She’d talked about the war and how horrible it was. She’d talked about how much she loved Piper and Thalia and the sea. She’d talked about Leo, and how she hoped he was alright somewhere.

She’d start to wonder if Percy stopped listening, but every time she paused, he had a question to keep her talking. Since it was too dark to see, he’d put his hand in the palm of hers and spell something out. She’d taught him the signs for question words much the same way.

And that whole night, not once, had she thought about Luke.

She looked at Percy now, and watched the way he seemed so fascinated by the pink sunrise, just visible through the canopy of trees. She sat down by the dying fire and motioned for Percy to do the same.

“Last night,” she said, “I told you everything about me. Why don’t you tell me about you?”

Percy glanced at Thalia’s tent, then sat down next to Annabeth. She wondered if Thalia had given him a warning about getting too close to her. She hoped Thalia hadn’t said anything of the sort. She did like Percy, after all, she just wasn’t sure how much.

Percy made the hand sign for “What” then pointed at her then himself.

“Well, I started with my mother. Tell me about yours.”

Percy shrugged. He mimed holding a baby, then handed the phantom child to Annabeth.

“You were given away?”

He held up four fingers, then spelled W-O-R.

She corrected his spelling of “war,” then asked, “Do you remember her at all?”

Percy nodded he put two fingers on the palm of his other hand and walked them across it. Then he frowned like he was trying to think of another way to say what he wanted to say. He stood up and pulled Annabeth up with him. He held her hand and put his other hand at her waist then pulled her around the fire.

Annabeth laughed. He was clumsy at dancing, but so were most sailors she knew. They had great balance on a boat deck, but on dry land they were as agile as fish on a beach.

“You remember dancing with your mother?”

Percy let go of her hands and nodded.

“Tonight at the ball there will be plenty of people to dance with.”

Percy looked a little sad and he reached for her hand again.

Annabeth cleared her throat and stepped away. She sat back down, and Percy did the same.

“Do you know your father?” she asked.

Percy nodded. He thought for a moment, then made a rolling motion with his hand and arm.

“He’s like the ocean?”

Percy nodded.

Annabeth found that an odd description of a person, but she was familiar with the ocean, and could imagine the sort of person his father must be like. “Do you have any siblings?”

Percy held up one finger. He raised his arms like he was trying to make himself look bulkier, then pointed to Annabeth’s sword.

“A soldier?”

He shook his head and mimed raising something over his head and bringing it down in front of him, repeatedly.

“A sword-maker?”

Percy nodded.

She wondered what kind of family Percy had to come from. A mother, who gave him away, to a father as unpredictable as the sea, and a sibling who made swords during peacetime. She couldn’t imagine those things as parts of Percy’s life. They didn’t seem like him. Not that she knew him well, but her life hadn’t been much different, and she didn’t have nearly the same sense of humor or wonder about the world that he did.

“I suppose tomorrow you’ll go home to them?” she asked.

Percy looked at her, the familiar adoration in his eyes, but something else fractured it. There was something deeper, something broken.

“You don’t have to,” she said quickly. “You could be a part of my crew, if you--”

Percy leaned forward and kissed her.

\--- --- ---

Will had tried to leave without waking Percy, but Percy was a light sleeper. He apologized for the morning disruption, and went to check on Thalia and Piper. There, he tried, unsuccessfully, not to wake Annabeth, but she grumbled at him and left the tent.

Piper yawned and sat up. He checked the swelling on her ankle, which had gone down considerably, and he re-bandaged it for her. She’d taken the purple strips that had originally served as her bandage and braided them into her hair. Will didn’t ask why, but it made him uneasy.

He checked on Thalia next, who insisted she was feeling fine. Her pulse was reasonable, and her reflexes seemed to be working fine. She promised him her head didn’t hurt at all, so he let her be.

Will stepped out of the girls’ tent just in time to see Percy kiss Annabeth and her gently push him away.

“I’m sorry. I didn’t think--” she said, but Percy didn’t wait around to hear her apology. He only shook his head and headed into the forest.

Annabeth stood up to go after him, but Will put a hand on her shoulder. “I’ll go after him. He’ll be alright.”

Annabeth didn’t look too sure, but nodded.

Will was not an expert on women, but he’d had his fair share of heartbreak. He could imagine what Percy was experiencing, and he empathized. Will had been in love with someone who didn’t return his affections far more frequently than he’d had actual relationships. He didn’t think Annabeth was completely disinterested in Percy--she’d laughed quite a lot last night, mostly at Percy--but he could understand her confusion. He’d known Annabeth for many years, and she always acted with her head and had trouble understanding her heart. He wasn’t surprised that she was puzzled by and wary of Percy’s untempered affections.

Will found Percy sitting by a small stream of water that cut through the woods. He cleared his throat to announce himself and sat down beside Percy, but said nothing.

Finally, after the pink sky began to tint gold, Percy sighed heavily and got to his feet.

“You going to be okay?” Will asked.

Percy shrugged his shoulders.

“It might not be easy, but you’ll have to let Annabeth come to you in her own time.”

This only seemed to make Percy feel worse. He looked like he was on the edge of tears, but he didn’t start crying. Again, Will wondered what Percy had been through. But even if Percy could speak, it wasn’t a polite question.

“Are you ready to--” but Will’s question was cut off by the sound of a wolf snarling nearby. There was a shout--Will thought it was male, but it could have easily been Thalia or Reyna--and he and Percy ran towards the noise.

There were more shouts, louder, and the sound of a fight. Hazel had said the wolves didn’t bother people, so Will desperately hoped one of the girls wasn’t fighting off a wolf. He also wished he and Percy were armed with something, but if someone was hurt, Will wasn’t going to take the time to run back to camp.

The shouts stopped suddenly. Will continued forward, hoping it was the right direction. He stumbled onto a path and found a large white wolf lying in the dirt, blood matted in its fur. He saw no sign of a person.

Will stepped closer to the wolf, hesitantly and put his hand in front of its nose. It was breathing.

It woke and snapped at his hand. Will jumped back, nearly knocking over Percy. The wolf struggled to its feet and looked like it might pounce on them, but it only remained in a defensive position and snarled.

Will wondered what in this forest could have attacked the wolf, and where was the person who was shouting? Then he saw a strip of purple bandage lying in the dirt path, flecked with blood. His stomach tightened and he feared Piper was hurt.

Percy pointed to some broken branches off the path, and Will followed him. The wolf stayed close behind them, but it didn’t attack them. It still made Will uneasy.

The trail Percy had discovered was easy enough to follow. The consistent breaks indicated someone thrashing, but then the higher breakage stopped, and instead they picked their way through flattened underbrush. Will was certain this was not an animal attack. Someone was dragged. And after what had happened to Thalia last night, he feared the worst.

The trail ended at a rock wall. This bemused Will, because the trail seemed to go through the rock, but when he pushed on the stone, it was solid.

The wolf pressed its nose to the trail and went straight up to the stone. It snarled and started to dig.

“Do you think it was Piper?” Will asked Percy.

Percy frowned, then pointed at his ankle. He made two fingers walk across the opposite palm.

“I guess it was a little far to walk on her ankle, but if she was looking for us--”

Percy shook his head. He held up four fingers.

“I guess there are others that could look for us,” Will agreed. But then where had that purple strip come from?

Percy pressed his ear to the rock like he was listening for something. He frowned, his face puzzled. Then he quickly jumped away from the rock and grabbed Will’s arm. Percy shoved him down into a bush and ducked into hiding with him. The wolf, however, stayed out in the trail and snarled at the wall.

They were hidden just in time. The rock shimmered, like it had only been an illusion, though Will was sure it had been solid moments ago, and a woman stepped into the forest. Her dark hair was pulled up and held into place with gold bands. she had similar gold bands along her forearms and wore a long, black, sleeveless dress.

Percy caught Will’s eye and tried to spell something with his hands, but Will didn’t know the letters. He shook his head slightly, hoping the motion wouldn’t draw attention to them.

The wolf leapt at the woman, but she knocked it aside simply by moving her hand. The wolf fell into the underbrush and didn’t get up.

As soon as the woman passed the space the boulder had occupied, it reappeared. She walked further into the forest. As soon as they couldn’t hear her anymore, Will rushed to check on the wolf.

It was still breathing, but slowly. Will tried to pick it up, but it woke up and snapped at him.

“I’m only trying to help,” he said, though he really didn’t think the wolf could understand.

Percy tapped Will’s shoulder and pointed back the way they came.

“Check on the camp?”

Percy nodded.

“That could be the sorceress who tried to kill Thalia,” Will said. “We should hurry.”

Percy nodded, like he’d already considered all of this.

He followed Percy back through the trail they’d come through, back to the stream, and back to the camp. The camp had already been taken apart and the stag was gone, but everything seemed calm and peaceful. There were four horses waiting for them. Thalia was loading up the last horse. Annabeth was putting out the campfire, and Reyna was cleaning the weapons.

“Where’s Piper?” Will asked, voice desperate.

Annabeth looked up at them in surprise. “There you are. You were gone so long. We sent Piper and Hazel on ahead, since they have to prepare for tonight. We sent the stag with them.”

“When was this?”

Annabeth looked at Thalia. Thalia shrugged.

“Maybe twenty minutes ago,” Reyna said. “They wanted to wait for you, but we finally convinced them to leave.”

“We were just about to come looking for you,” Thalia added. “We heard a wolf, and thought you might be hurt. Hazel insisted the wolves wouldn’t attack you, though.”

“They didn’t,” Wil said, and relayed his and Percy’s adventure.

The girls listened in silence, and Will wondered what they made of it, or if they even believed him. But then he realized he was talking to three powerful military commanders, and he guessed they were already strategizing.

Percy spelled something to Annabeth and she nodded.

“That woman had to be a sorceress.”

“Could she be responsible for the laurels?” Reyna asked and sheathed her sword.

“I’m going back to help whomever was hurt,” Will said. “I can’t leave, knowing they could be in trouble.”

“Maybe you heard wrong,” Annabeth said. “There’s not supposed to be anyone else in this forest. Maybe the wolf was only fighting the sorceress.”

Will shook his head. That didn’t explain the purple strip of cloth. Someone had bandaged Piper’s ankle, and if it wasn’t Piper who was in trouble, it was that person who was in trouble. “I’ll be alright. I just need to know that they’re okay.”

Reyna looked like she was going to argue with him further, but Annabeth cleared her throat, and Reyna stepped down. Annabeth knew Will well enough to know when he had made up his mind, there was no changing it. 

“Be back tonight,” Annabeth said. “Please.”

“I promise,” Will answered.

Thalia walked his horse to him then motioned Percy over to hers. “We used yours to send the stag back with Piper and Hazel. You can ride with me.”

Percy looked at Annabeth, who was steadily avoiding eye contact with him.

Will squeezed Percy’s shoulder encouragingly then mounted his horse and headed back towards the stream.

\--- --- ---

Hazel waited patiently while Piper fought with her mother about the sprained ankle and the strip of purple fabric braided into her hair, but after about thirty minutes, she intervened, insisting that she and Piper get ready for the ball that night. She assured Piper’s mother that she would dress Piper appropriately, and led Piper to her bedroom.

“I’m not going to take the braid out,” Piper said hotly.

“You don’t have to,” Hazel said. “The colors tonight are purple, green, and gold. I have the perfect dress and we can do your hair up--” She led Piper to the mirror and showed her how to pull her hair appropriately, then let it fall again--”and we’ll fasten it with gold beading and purple. The strip will look like it belongs.”

Piper still looked apprehensive, so Hazel showed her the dress she’d chosen for Piper. As careless as she’d been in choosing her own dress, she’d been meticulous with her friends’. 

Piper’s was a purple robe, with a gold-trimmed bodice that laced in the back, but she’d made sure there were no bones in the bodice to constrict Piper’s chest. She knew Piper only got irritated in those sorts of dresses. The skirt was long, but there were no under skirts or petticoats or anything of the sort. It hung straight, but had enough fabric in it that i would flow with Piper as she walked and danced.

“It’s… actually really beautiful,” Piper said.

Hazel beamed. “I knew you’d like it. And it’s perfectly traditional, so there’s no reason for your mother to complain.”

“Is that your dress?” Piper pointed to the big, puffy, purple and green dress hanging on the stand by the mirror. “How will you move in it?”

Hazel laughed. “I’ve had quite a bit of practice.” She’d been raised in the traditions of the West. Her parents had been distant, and not particularly supportive of her interests, but they’d paid a lot of attention to her manners. And Hazel, unlike Piper, did not chafe beneath the rules. She adapted.

Hazel took Piper down to the ballroom, where they reviewed the decorations. Then they went to the kitchens to be sure the food was as it was supposed to be. Piper tried every dish except the ones with meat in them. Hazel had been sure to request enough of those for her friend. Even if their situations were less than desirable, at least they would have each other.

Lastly, Hazel walked Piper through the evening’s events. The ball would begin, and all the guests would be announced as they arrived. Piper and Hazel would stand there, greet the guests, and then, lastly, the Prince of the West would be announced. He’d share the first dance with Piper, and Hazel would select a guest to dance the first dance with. After that, they were free to dance with whomever they liked. And tomorrow evening, both princesses would be wed.

Piper sighed irritably. “I don’t know how I’m supposed to dance on this ankle.”

“Did Will give you something for the pain this morning?”

She nodded, but didn’t look very happy. “My mother says I have to dance.”

“At least the first one. After that, I suppose you could rest.”

Piper shrugged. She didn’t look happy with either option. “Do you think Annabeth and Thalia are back?” Piper asked.

Hazel glanced at the sun, low in the sky, and just beginning to tint everything orange. “Most likely. They ought to be getting ready. I can send for them as soon as we finish dressing.”

Piper nodded, and was unusually quiet as they walked. Hazel wondered what was on her mind that she was so afraid to bring up.

“Have you ever met the Prince of the West?” Piper asked as they went back to Hazel’s room to change into their gowns. 

Hazel got the feeling this wasn’t the question that was nagging at Piper, but answered anyway. “I’ve only heard the story, that he was given away during the war to be raised in safety, until he was old enough to return. I’m sorry.”

“It’s alright. At least let me help you pick your husband tonight. I’m an excellent judge of character.”

Hazel laughed a little and nodded. “I expected you, Annabeth, and Reyna to all dance with the man of my choice at least once during the evening. I want everyone’s opinion of him.”

“I’m sure Annabeth will be more than happy to give it,” Piper said, and she even smiled, which Hazel thought was a good sign.

But then Piper’s smile vanished and she said, “I invited a boy to the ball tonight.”

“Oh?” Hazel pushed open the door to her bedroom. This sounded more like what could be nagging at Piper. She took a seat at her dressing table, prepared for the worst.

Piper stayed standing. “I met him in the woods. I know you said the wolves don’t attack people, but this one did attack me. And he saved me.”

“Piper….”

“I know. I know I shouldn’t. But--Hazel, you should have seen him. He was tall, blonde, with these beautiful stormy blue eyes. And we talked. He seemed so lonely. I thought he just wanted a friend.”

“When you invited him, did you tell him you’re getting married tomorrow?”

Piper shook her head “I didn’t even give him my name. I… I think I fell in love with him.”

“You just met him--”

“I thought you’d understand, of all people.”

“I do,” Hazel said quickly. “I really do. Piper, I completely understand, but we have obligations. Your marriage is supposed to help keep peace.”

“Why don’t you marry someone from my kingdom?” Piper snapped.

Hazel sighed. “You know I would. You’re a little short on eligible princes.”

Piper was quiet for a long moment then finally said, “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to say you don’t know how I feel. And I don’t really think you need to marry someone from my kingdom to get me out of my engagement. You should have the freedom to choose your husband, and I should have the freedom to choose mine.”

“I have the freedom to choose,” Hazel said. “It’s marriage at all that I don’t really want.”

“That should be a choice you have the right to as well.”

Hazel stood and walked over to Piper. “But we have a job to do, too. We can’t separate our duties from our personal lives.”

Hazel could tell Piper did not like this answer, but they’d always been a little different when it came to duty and love. Piper went with her gut. Hazel went where she was supposed to. She reached out and hugged Piper.

“We have each other,” she told her friend. “We’re not going anywhere. We’ll practically be sisters-in-law.”

Piper sighed and returned the hug. “I know. I just… I want to see him again. Even if it has to be the last time I do.”

“I do understand,” Hazel said. "I'd give anything for one last glimpse of Sammy." But Hazel knew that was impossible. “If he does arrive, please point him out to me.”

“Of course,” Piper said. “But don’t you dare pick him for your husband,” she said.

“Wouldn’t dream of it,” Hazel laughed, and went over to Piper’s dress. She took it off the mannequin and handed it to Piper, who went behind the dressing wall to change.

Hazel went to put hers on, and called one of the servants to help her lace the back up, nice and tight, but not so tight she couldn’t breathe.

“Shall I send for Annabeth and the others?” she asked.

“Why don’t we go to them?” Piper suggested, clearly anxious to be out of the room.

That was fine with Hazel. She sent word ahead with a servant to announce them, and then began a leisurely walk to the other side of the castle.

“What do you think about Percy?” Piper asked suddenly.

Hazel shrugged. “He seems like a nice boy. Are you concerned about him?”

“I like him quite a bit, actually. Except for the kissing Annabeth twice part.”

Hazel raised her eyebrows. “Is that what happened? And she was not interested?”

“She hasn’t really talked about it to me, but I can tell it’s complicated.” Piper fiddled with one of the beads in her hair. “I don’t like Luke.”

Hazel could say nothing about Luke. She’d met him briefly when Annabeth arrived. She was the one who encouraged Annabeth to invite him, so she hoped she hadn’t been mistaken. She just wanted to see Annabeth happy.

“I’ll make sure to interview both thoroughly tonight.”

“Good luck interviewing Percy,” Piper laughed.

Hazel rolled her eyes. “Don’t be rude, Piper. I’m sure we can communicate quite easily.”

“He does seem to communicate well with Annabeth,” Piper said. “And that’s a good sign.”

They arrived at the guest room Annabeth and Thalia had decided to share. Hazel knocked, and when Annabeth announced it was alright to enter, they did.

Annabeth was in her military uniform and Hazel frowned. “Annabeth, I picked out a dress for you.”

“I appreciate it,” Annabeth said, “but I’m more comfortable in this. And it’s acceptable for a soldier to wear their uniform to a formal event.”

Thalia was wearing a light gown and eyeing the dress on the mannequin. “I know you went to a lot of work for us, Hazel, but I think I’d be more comfortable in my uniform, too.”

“Humor her,” Piper said, and gestured at her own dress. “Hazel did a very good job.”

Thalia looked suspicious, but she took the corset and began to fasten it. Piper stepped around a hoop skirt so she could tighten the back of the bodice for Thalia.

Hazel looked longingly at Annabeth’s dress--the same colors as her naval uniform, with a sweetheart top and a bolero jacket for over the shoulders. She was about to suggest again that Annabeth wear it, but Thalia gasped painfully.

“Piper--too tight--” she choked.

Piper looked bewildered. “I didn’t tighten it yet.”

“Pipes, I can’t breathe,” Thalia gasped, clutching at her waist.

Piper tried to hold Thalia up and Annabeth rushed over to loosen the corset, but Thalia continued to gasp for air.

“I can’t make it any looser,” Annabeth said.

Hazel rushed over and pulled on the laces, but it was like they were made of iron. They wouldn’t budge, even with Annabeth and Hazel pulling. Thalia was turning blue.

There was a knock at the door and Hazel shouted for help. The doors burst open and Reyna rushed in. She took in the scene in no time at all. Suddenly she was pushing Hazel and Annabeth out of the way, pulled a knife from somewhere in the folds of her dress, and sliced the corset laces open.

Thalia gasped for breath. “Gods,” she breathed. “I’m never doing that again.”

“I swear I didn’t tighten it,” Piper insisted. “It wasn’t me.”

Annabeth and Reyna locked eyes.

“It seems,” Annabeth began slowly, “that someone really is trying to kill Thalia.”

Thalia sat up slowly and took deep breaths. “That’s ridiculous. I can’t die until after I’ve turned sixteen. And I’m not getting older.”

Hazel noticed, however, that Thalia looked down at her hands, then up at Reyna. Hazel hoped Thalia didn’t suspect Reyna. After all, Reyna was the one who had saved her twice now.

“We’ll keep our eyes open tonight,” Reyna said, and got to her feet. “Stay alert for any illusions. I hate to ask this of you Hazel, but illusions are your expertise. You’ll need to be on guard.”

Hazel nodded. Anything to protect her friends.

“No offense, Hazel,” Thalia said as she stood, ignoring Reyna’s hand to help her up, “but I think I’m going to stick with my Lieutenant’s uniform.”


	8. Swords and Poison

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Percy attends the ball and makes a decision about Annabeth; Will makes a new friend, very quickly.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A lot of you are here for Solangelo so here is a teensy tiny bit for you. I hope you like it.

Frank Zhang was tired and sore, but the floors were only half done. Then there were the bunks to clean, the laundry to finish, and finally, the toilets to scrub.

It was kind of the worst day ever.

The only upside was that Frank was alone. He didn’t have to listen to Octavian tell him he missed a spot, Dakota talking his ear off about something Gwen said the other day, or Clarisse ask him why he was going so slowly.

When the floors were done, he paused at the door to survey the empty camp. It was a little eerie with just him and the mop. And lonely. He sighed and looked up at the orange sky. He thought about shirking his responsibilities, putting on a clean uniform and leaving. But with his luck, he’d run into Octavian, and he’d be accused of deserting. The punishment for deserting was death, and as much as Frank wanted to attend the party at the castle, death wasn’t really worth it.

He dumped out the mop bucket and got the sheets from the clothesline he’d hung them on early that morning. He had eighteen beds to make. It really could be worse.

Frank was just tucking the corners on the thirteenth bed when he heard someone shout, “Fai Zhang!”

Frank had never snapped to attention so fast in his life. He saluted instinctively, even though no one in the West knew him by his birthname.

There was a sharp crack as an old woman stepped into the barrack and slammed the end of her cane on the concrete floor, scuffing what Frank had just cleaned. “What are you saluting me for, foolish boy? I’m not your commanding officer.”

Frank dropped his arm. “Yes ma’am.”

“Are you saying you don’t recognize me?”

Frank couldn’t say he’d seen this old woman before. He hadn’t seen anyone except his fellow soldiers for a few years. But then he noticed her jawline, so similar to his mother’s, and her eyes, so cold and demanding. And, of course, she had called him “Fai” instead of Frank. He was embarrassed he hadn’t recognized her immediately.

“Grandmother? I thought you were dead.”

She snorted. “Don’t be ridiculous. I’ve been in the lands beyond the East, and I returned upon invitation, to see the Prince of the West presented. I expected to see my grandson a high-ranking official, and here I find you doing housework! You’re a disgrace to your mother and your heritage.”

Frank’s cheeks burned, and he smoothed the edge of the sheet down, exactly a four-inch fold. “Yes, Grandmother. I haven’t been very lucky.”

“It has nothing to do with luck. I was hoping you could rise above the challenges of the war, but I overestimated you. No matter. I’ll still see to it you get to the palace.”

“I’ve been ordered not to. I don’t dare leave.”

His grandmother walked further into the barracks, her cane clicking against the floor as she did. “Pah. Orders from a corrupted officer, no doubt. There are many illusions in this land, Fai Zhang, and I will not let your fate be left to their mercy. Come. Put on your grandfather’s uniform.”

All color left Frank’s face. “I could never--that’s not my rank. That’s a serious offense.”

“It’s a uniform from another era, and another nation, with different rules. His uniform is your birthright, and so is his rank. He’d be offended you haven’t owned it yet.”

Frank’s grandmother stopped at his bunk and sat down on the bed. Frank didn’t know how she knew which bunk was his. His grandmother had always scared him when he was little. As he got older, he’d assumed he was scared because he was small. Nope. His grandmother was still terrifying.

So Frank did as she asked and opened up his trunk. At the very bottom, underneath his own uniforms, underneath his mother’s medals, Frank removed the one relic he had from his life before the war--his grandfather’s military uniform, from the lands beyond the East.

“Your grandfather never served in the Western army,” his grandmother said. “That belonged to his ancestor, and now it belongs to you. It’s our tradition to carry on those titles, out of respect to their memory. Your mother, however, chose to forge her own path. She had to prove herself, so she served in the West. And prove herself she did.”

“All the way to her death,” Frank muttered.

“She sacrificed herself for something greater. There is no finer death.” His grandmother nodded, like she was acknowledging something in the distance. “Well, put it on, and then escort me to the palace. It’s improper for a lady of my standing to go anywhere unaccompanied.”

“So you didn’t mean that stuff about destiny. You just wanted an escort?”

“I would never say anything I didn’t mean.” She stood. “Hurry up. We only have until midnight.”

“What happens at midnight?”

“Your troop will return and you’ll get caught for not being here!”

“Oh. Right.” As soon as his grandmother left, Frank hastily changed into the old uniform. Frank didn’t know how old it really was, but it still seemed as sturdy as his own, and perfectly clean. Frank also wasn’t sure how it would fit him, since he was a little thicker than most of his family. But when Frank put it on, he found it fit perfectly. It wasn’t as if the uniform adjusted to fit him. It was more like he adjusted to fit it. The only thing that wasn't perfect were the sleeves. The buttons that were supposed to fasten them were missing. So Frank grabbed the cufflinks from his own uniform and pinned the sleeves closed. Then he laced his boots up tightly.

But there wasn’t time to examine his reflection any further. He met his grandmother outside the barracks and she took him to the entrance to the camp, where a carriage was waiting for them. Frank couldn’t help feeling a little bitter as he climbed into the carriage with her. He’d been an orphan without a family for the last several years, and here his grandmother was, some sort of nobility from a foreign country, who hadn’t even bothered to look out for him or take care of him.

“Don’t be ridiculous,” she said, as if she could read his mind. “You have a great destiny before you, and I wouldn’t dare to take it from you.”

There she went again, with that destiny stuff. Frank really couldn’t imagine what she meant by that. But there was no sense worrying about it now. He had the night free, and he would enjoy it.

“What will I do about the cleaning that isn’t done?”

“I’ve taken care of it.”

At least, right now, his grandmother seemed to be looking out for him. It was almost like having his mother back.

\--- --- ---

Percy had gotten ready with Luke, which meant a lot of listening to Luke prattle about working at the lighthouse, how glad he was to have found Annabeth, and a lot of questions about the hunt last night that Percy could half-answer.

Luke wasn’t an unpleasant person, by any means. Percy just wished Luke wasn’t around because then maybe Annabeth wouldn’t be so confused. Will had told him to take his time, but Percy didn’t have time. He had until the next sunset, and then it would be over.

It didn’t help that his legs were throbbing. Percy sat down in a chair to lace his boots up and the relief was so wonderful he wasn’t sure he wanted to stand up ever again.

“Did the doctor look at you before he left?” Luke asked. “I’m worried about you. Maybe you shouldn’t go tonight.”

Percy waved his hand dismissively.

“Are you sure? I think Annabeth will understand.”

Percy tried to insist he was fine, but of course, his voice didn’t work. He’d gotten used to it, mostly. It was just when he got frustrated or excited that he would forget, and try to speak. He didn’t mind it, as long as Annabeth could understand him. 

Percy stood, to insist further that he was alright, and ignored the pain that shot up through his legs. He was not going to leave Annabeth with Luke for an entire evening.

“You’re sure you can dance?” Luke asked with a raised eyebrow.

Percy nodded.

Luke just shook his head and finished fastening the cuffs of his coat. “If you say so.”

Percy wasn’t sure if that was a joke or not.

He followed Luke down to the ballroom. Apparently, Luke had a card made for himself, but Percy had no way to introduce himself. He probably looked like Luke’s attendant as the herald announced Luke Castellan, and they made their way down the stairs into the party.

They greeted Piper and Hazel, who were receiving each introduced guest. Each princess smiled politely. Luke congratulated them on their weddings. Then Piper pulled Percy closer and whispered, “Save your second dance for me, okay?”

Percy nodded, and followed Luke into crowd of guests. They found Annabeth and Thalia quickly, or maybe the girls found them. Percy noticed the way Annabeth didn’t even flinch as Luke kissed her cheek.

“You boys clean up so nicely,” Annabeth said with a smile.

“And you like quite dashing in your uniform,” Luke said.

“It’s a bit more comfortable than those dresses,” Annabeth laughed.

“I’m sure you’d look lovely in those, too. Would it be amiss if I asked for your first dance?”

Annabeth’s cheeks went pink. “Not at all. No one’s asked yet.”

Percy’s stomach twisted with jealousy. They made everything look so simple. He couldn’t even interrupt.

Then she turned to him and he felt like he was coming to life when she said, “And Percy, would you like the second dance?”

But his face fell and he spelled out Piper’s name.

“Oh.” Annabeth looked disappointed too. “We’ll just have to share the third, then.”

“You’re booking your evening up pretty quick,” Thalia snorted. 

“Why don’t you ask someone to dance?” Annabeth shot back.

“I don’t have any desire to dance. It’s a little hard to celebrate my best friend being forced into a marriage she doesn’t want.”

“We’re celebrating peace.”

“Maybe the cost of peace is too high.”

“What is wrong with you?”

“I’ve nearly died twice in the last two days. I’m not so sure this peace is what we think it is, is all.” Thalia folded her arms over her chest and refused to look at Annabeth.

Annabeth looked pained, and glanced across to Piper and Hazel. “You think something’s going to go wrong tonight?”

Thalia didn’t answer, and Percy wondered what she could possibly be thinking. Surely it wasn’t him she suspected. She’d been so trusting of him. And she said she’d nearly died twice. What happened the second time?

“Ladies and gentlemen,” the herald shouted over the party, “After many years abroad, I present the Prince of the West, Jason Grace!”

The crowd silenced immediately and every guest turned to the stairs. Except Percy, who looked first at Piper, who’s face was clearly pained, then at Thalia, who was completely unreadable.

When he did look to the Prince of the West, he saw a young man with a lot of hair, dark like Thalia’s, and a lot longer. Thalia kept hers cut closer to her neckline, but this boy let his hang just past his shoulders, and it was puffed out a little like Hazel’s, but not curly.

He walked straight over to Piper and kissed each of her cheeks. Piper looked a little reviled, but smiled through it and curtsied.

The party began to clear the dance floor so that the first dance could be had, now that the prince had arrived. But they were stopped short by a last minute arrival. Percy didn’t think the crowd could be silenced by anything but the prince, but he was wrong. An elderly woman with a gentleman on her arm approached the top of the stairs.

Percy had never seen a uniform like that young man’s before. It wasn’t like Reyna’s, and it certainly wasn’t like Thalia’s. It was red and gold and shimmered like light moving through water.

The herald announced, “Lady An Zhang, from the lands beyond the East, escorted by her grandson, Fai Zhang.”

Like all the other guests, they immediately went to greet the princesses, and Hazel took the young man’s hand and led him to the dance floor. He looked bewildered and a little embarrassed. Percy felt a bit of sympathy as he stumbled, but Fai seemed steady when the music began. There were a few moments where the princesses were alone with their partners, but shortly, other guests began their first dances.

Percy watched Luke take Annabeth’s hand and lead her into the waltz. He almost forgot Thalia was still next to him, until she said, “That boy isn’t my brother.”

Percy looked at Thalia, who had gone from impassive to cold and calculating. Then he looked over to where Piper was dancing with the Prince of the West. The prince certainly looked related to Thalia. He had the same dark hair, and the icy blue eyes. Percy tapped Thalia’s arm until she looked at him, then he pointed at her eyes, then at the prince.

“I know,” Thalia said. “My brother and I have the same eyes, and this boy does too, but my brother has a scar on his lip from chewing on scissors when he was small. It was a bad cut, and there’s no way the scar healed completely. Dance with me. I want a closer look.”

Percy didn’t have an opportunity to protest as Thalia took him onto the dance floor.

He didn’t know how to waltz. Thalia had to lead, which Percy didn’t think she minded, but he felt a little embarrassed. He felt like it was something he should have learned, and he didn’t know what he was going to do when he had to dance with Annabeth. While Thalia stared at Jason and Piper, Percy watched Luke and Annabeth. They were laughing, and seemed to be enjoying each other. Percy loved the way Annabeth looked when she laughed. He wondered, for a moment, if maybe he should leave her to Luke, if Luke would make her happier. Wasn’t it enough that he had put them together? That made him partially responsible for her happiness, and as much as it broke his heart not to be with her, maybe it was for the best to let them be. He could live without Annabeth, as long as he knew she was happy.

When the waltz ended, Thalia led Percy to Piper and Jason.

Piper’s face looked like she’d just been rescued from a pit of snakes. “Oh, Percy! There you are.” She turned to her fiance. “Jason, I am so sorry, but I promised my second dance to Percy.”

“That eez not a problem,” Jason said, and Percy wondered what kind of foreign country Jason had grown up in. He sounded like he had something stuck in his throat that he was trying to get out through his nose. Percy’d never heard an accent like it before. Then again, Percy had grown up under the ocean.

“Jason, I would actually love to have a dance with you,” Thalia said with a sharp smile.

Jason looked startled to see Thalia, and Percy remembered what she’d said about someone trying to kill her twice. Maybe this really wasn’t Jason. But if he’d tried to kill Thalia, was it safe to let her dance with him?

But the music started, and Thalia whisked Jason away as quickly as she’d whisked Percy away.

Piper took Percy’s hands and led him through the second waltz. “Thank the gods you agreed to a second dance with me,” Piper sighed. “I was afraid my fiance was going to be terrible and I’d need a way out, and I was so right. He’s awful. His breath smells bad and he keeps going on and on about this wonderful foreign education but I didn’t hear a single thing of intelligence come out of him. Maybe I’ll get lucky and Thalia will stab him before the night is over. She looked ready to murder.”

Percy didn’t interrupt Piper. He knew she needed to talk, and anyway, his hands were busy holding hers. He felt bad that she’d had such a terrible time with the man she was supposed to marry. He found himself hoping Thalia was right about it not being Jason at all, even though it would put the countries at risk of war again.

Piper kept looking over Percy’s shoulder, even as she talked, and he thought at first she was watching Thalia and Jason, but then he realized she wasn’t looking anywhere near Thalia and Jason.

Percy gently squeezed her hand to draw her attention back to him and tried to make his face look like a question. Piper seemed to understand, because she instantly went pink.

“I invited someone here tonight. But I don’t see him.” PIper bit down on her lip. “He saved my life, and I’m worried he’s hurt because of me.” Piper glanced at the door to the gardens. Percy noticed she was unconsciously leading them towards it.

“I think I’m going to find him,” she said suddenly. “I just want to make sure he’s alright. I’ll take my horse, be back before midnight, and no one will even notice I’m gone.”

Percy was pretty sure everyone would notice the princess had disappeared from her own party, but he didn’t know how to tell that to Piper. And he also thought if her fiance really was awful, she ought to go find someone she actually liked. He’d defied his father for Annabeth and even if that wasn’t working out so well for him, he believed Piper would only do this if she felt she couldn’t live otherwise. They seemed to have similar reactions to falling in love. No wonder they’d gotten along so easily.

“Don’t tell anyone where I’ve gone.”

Percy smiled and nodded. Then she realized what she’d said and laughed.

“I really didn’t mean to be funny that time, but I’m glad you’re amused and not offended.” 

Percy let go of Piper’s hand and spelled, G-U-D-L-U-K.

“I have no idea what you said, but thanks.” Piper kissed Percy’s cheek and slipped through the doors into the garden. Percy watched her go, then made his way around the dancing crowd towards the food. It wasn’t just that he hurt. Dancing was exhausting. It reminded him of swimming races.

He was stopped by a girl with bright red curls who asked him to dance, but he shook his head, and pointed to the food. She seemed to take this as an invitation to join him, so she linked her arm through his, and they walked towards the feast table.

She was friendly as she spoke, and recommended a few of the dishes she’d already tried.

“Definitely avoid the spinach,” she made a face. “But here, have this tart.” She handed Percy a plate with a pastry on it. It was definitely tart, though Percy might’ve said it was more on the sour side.

“Are you here with anyone?” she asked.

Percy pointed to Annabeth, who’d apparently decided to take the second dance with Luke, again.

“Oh, her? She’s wearing a naval uniform. Was she in the war?”

Percy nodded.

“Were you in the war with her?”

Percy shook his head.

“You don’t say much,” she laughed.

He smiled and shrugged his shoulders.

The second waltz ended, and the girl asked if he’d do the third with her.

Percy shook his head and pointed to Annabeth.

“Looks like her partner’s trying to slip in. I’d hurry over, if I were you.”

Percy saw Annabeth trying to pull away from Luke’s hand, and he read his name on her lips. He wasn’t too happy Luke was asking her to dance when she’d already promised a dance to him. Percy didn’t know a whole lot about surface world parties, but he assumed it was rude to take someone else’s promised dance.

Percy got close enough to hear Luke say, “I saw him with some red-haired girl. He’s probably dancing with her. I wouldn’t worry about it.”

“I’m sure Percy wouldn’t just dance with someone else.”

Percy could see her, just three people away.

“You said yourself he’s not very good with manners,” Luke said.

“I should at least find him.”

“Wait, Annabeth, I--”

And Percy got to her just as Luke pulled her close and kissed her.

Percy felt his heart shatter in his chest. Annabeth didn’t even push Luke away like she had with Percy that morning.

Before they even parted, Percy turned around. He knew he couldn’t dance a waltz with Annabeth, looking into her eyes, knowing what had just happened. He vaguely heard her call his name, but he didn’t turn around. That kiss was the last sign he’d needed.

Tomorrow at sunset, Percy would return to the sea, and Annabeth could stay with Luke. They’d never miss him. She’d be happy. It broke his heart, but it was her happiness that mattered more than his.

Percy ducked behind a curtain near the door to the garden and he saw Annabeth look outside for him.

“Percy, I want to talk to you,” she said, but Percy didn’t reveal himself.

Then Luke put his hand on Annabeth’s shoulder. “Let him be alone for a bit. He’ll come back when he’s ready.”

Percy watched Luke lead a reluctant Annabeth inside. He leaned against the wall and sank to the floor, listening as the third waltz started.

Footsteps drew nearer to his hiding space, and he heard Thalia’s voice.

“You’re the only one who can say anything.”

Then Reyna whispered back, “If you’re wrong, I’ll be charged with treason.”

“I’m not wrong,” Thalia snapped back. “That boy is not Jason Grace.”

“How would you even know?”

“Because--” Thalia struggled with her answer before finally spitting out, “Jason Grace is my brother. I haven’t seen him since he was taken away, but I would know him. That is not him.”

Reyna was quiet for a long moment. “What you’re saying is very hard to believe.”

“It’s true.”

“Have you told Piper your suspicions?”

“Of course not…” Thalia’s voice faded as she and Reyna moved away from Percy.

Percy wished he could just disappear. But he knew Thalia would need his support right now. As much as he was heartbroken by Annabeth and Luke, he had one more day, and he should make the most of it.

Percy had just gotten himself together and stepped out of his hiding space when someone screamed. Everyone stopped and Percy turned to see what had happened, but it was only a sea of people. He pushed his way forward and found Reyna kneeling over Thalia, who was collapsed on the floor. Inches from Thalia’s fingertips was a bright red apple, with one bite taken out of it.

Reyna searched the crowd and found Percy. She motioned him closer and whispered, “Has Doctor Solace come back yet? Have you heard anything from him?”

Percy shook his head. He pointed at Thalia and made the sign for “What” with his hands.

Reyna, as low as she could so no one else would hear, whispered, “I’m afraid I’ve killed her.”

\--- --- ---

Will was supposed to return to the castle by sunset, at the latest, but he didn’t think he was going to make it.

He’d gone back to the mysterious rock wall and examined it as thoroughly as he could. There had been no clues to help him get through it. He could only hope the sorceress would return and he could slip in behind her somehow. That sounded as impossible as getting the rock open alone.

That left one option--climbing. There was a tree with branches that stretched up and out. Will couldn’t quite see if they reached the top, but surely they would get him close. The illusion couldn’t extend forever.

He slung his medical bag over his shoulder, told his horse to graze out of sight, and started to climb. It took him a while to get up the tree. He was so used to having Annabeth or Thalia around to take care of the heavy lifting for him, he was panting by the time he reached the top of the tree, or at least, as far as he could go without being terrified a branch would break beneath him.

He still couldn’t reach the top of the rock wall, but he could see it now. If he climbed out farther along the branch, he’d be able to reach a set of vines that could take him to the top.

Will wondered briefly why he was doing this all for some person he’d never actually seen, but he also knew his skills lay in helping people who were hurt. He’d been a doctor during a violent war and had treated injured on both sides and lost patients from both sides. Then he’d become the personal physician to the princess, which, as wonderful as that promotion was, made him feel like his talents were being wasted. He hadn’t had so much work in the last year as he had in the last two days since Percy arrived.

Not that Will would ever wish for the war to begin again, but he felt like he had a new purpose, finding this mystery person who had been taken by a sorceress.

So he jumped from the tree and grabbed the vines. By the time he reached the top of the rock wall, he was exhausted and his arms ached like they were being weighed down with bricks. As he sat down on the wall to rest, Will realized that he hadn’t considered a way down.

He looked down in front of him and saw a hidden valley, not very large, but with a river that ran to the east from a small lake. At the center of the enclosure stood a tower, as tall as the oldest trees. Will knew whoever was hurt had to be in that tower. He just wasn’t sure how to get to it.

Will looked down at the lake. If he could move about thirty feet to his left, and jump out about ten feet, he’d land in the water. But if the water wasn’t deep enough, it might kill him.

There wasn’t a way back, so he didn’t really have another choice.

Will crawled along the rock wall until he was as close to the lake as he could get. he stood, took a deep breath, and jumped.

The water was cold, and he wished he could change his mind, but it was far too late. He sank in the water, but never hit the bottom. As soon as he overcame the shock from the cold, he pushed up to the surface.

Will took in a deep breath and swam for the shore. The current carried him towards the river, and he used it to save some of his quickly dwindling energy.

The sun was beginning to set when Will reached the shore, and that’s about when he figured he wasn’t going to be back on time. Though what use he’d be at a ball, he couldn’t imagine, so he wasn’t very concerned about being late.

Will walked to the tower and circled it to find an entrance. There wasn’t one. Only solid stones, sealed together. He figured some part of it must be an illusion, but he had no way to disilluse it even if he could find which part was hiding a door.

He looked up and saw a small window at the top of the tower. That meant more climbing. He rubbed his shoulders ruefully and searched the stone for a handhold. The rocks were old, and parts were crumbling. He’d probably be able to climb. He’d just have to not look down, and not fall. Easy.

As Will started climbing, it turned out that finding places to grab wasn’t a problem. There were plenty of cracks in the mortar the higher he went. The problem was, on occasion, he’d glance up, thinking he must be closer, but the window never actually seemed closer. His shoulders burned like he’d been climbing for hours, and the window always looked just as far off as before. He was starting to wonder if this was another magic that would keep him from ever reaching the top of the tower.

Will briefly scolded himself for being an idiot, for getting himself into a situation he couldn’t get out of, then took in a deep breath, and kept climbing.

He stopped looking up. He stopped checking how close he was. He paid attention only to the next foothold, the next handhold. His hands were blistered and he was pretty sure he had a hole in one of his boots, but finally, finally, his hand grabbed wood, not stone.

Will hoisted himself up into the window. The shutters were fastened shut, but he gripped the window frame and shoved his shoulder into them until they gave, and he tumbled into the tower. He thought, as he was falling, “What if there isn’t a floor?” but then he hit ground with only a small bruise on his shoulder.

He struggled to his feet and looked around. It was just a circular room, with a four-poster bed and a pump that Will assumed went down to the lake. It was dusty and smelled like his grandmother’s attic, like a room that hadn’t seen sunlight in years. Will pushed open the window shutters to let in more light. The rays of the setting sun fell on an ominous pile of bones, just to his left. Will shivered, then asked, “Is anyone here?

He heard shuffling near the bed, but no one revealed themselves.

Will put up his hands to show he had no weapons. “I thought someone might be hurt, so I came to help. I’m a doctor.”

Now someone came out of the shadows. It was a scrawny boy, with dark, messy hair, and clothes that were clearly too small for him. There were heavy shadows under his eyes, and his skin looked like it was meant to be dark, it had that undertone, but it was so pale it was nearly translucent. Will could see the veins in his hands and he stepped, just on the edge of the light from the window, and leaned against the bedframe.

“You said you’re a doctor?” the boy asked in a quiet, clearly unused voice.

Will’s initial diagnosis was malnutrition and lack of fresh air and sunshine. But he didn’t see any injuries like he’d expected. No broken bones or scrapes from being dragged through the woods. So was this boy the sorceress’s victim, or in league with her?

“Is there anyone else here?” Will asked cautiously.

“If you’re looking for the witch,” and the boy said her name with so much venom Will couldn’t doubt where this boy’s alliances lay, “then she’ll be back at sundown. She always comes back at sundown.”

“I followed a trail of someone injured,” Will said. “I just want to help.”

The boy was quiet for a long time, then finally whispered, “I didn’t mean to--I didn’t know what she was going to do. He’s upstairs and he’s dying. Please, you have to save him.”

Will knew better than to make false promises. “I will do everything I can.” He looked up at the ceiling, but didn’t see a way up. “How do I get up there?”

The boy climbed up one of the bedposts and pushed up a tile on the ceiling floor. “That’s the only way in or out.” He slid back down the pole and glanced at the window. The sun was nearly set. “You’ll have to stay there until sunrise, or the witch will find you.”

“What if I need your help?”

“If I’m gone she’ll know someone was here and she’ll look for you. Stay there and I’ll get you in the morning. Just help him,” the boy insisted.

Will climbed up into the attic of the tower. Before pushing the loose tile back into place, he asked, “I didn’t get your name. I’m Will Solace.”

“Nico di Angelo,” he said quickly. “Now hurry.”

Will was almost too shocked to move the tile. He recovered as Nico urged him to get hidden, but he sat in the dark crawlspace for a moment, turning that name over in his mind. Even in the East, they knew the stories of the tragic di Angelo siblings. A daughter lost in war and a son stolen by a witch. This boy was the lost prince.

With this in his mind, Will reached into his bag and lit a candle. The light revealed an even bigger shock, one Will wasn’t sure he could fix, even with all of his medical knowledge and experience on the battlefield.

A boy, tall, broad-shouldered, with blonde hair and a scar on his upper lip lay on the floor with a golden sword sticking out of his chest.


	9. The Trap is Set

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hazel's evening at the ball; Piper's adventure in the woods.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There will be more Percabeth in the next chapter I promise. This chapter is all Hazel and Piper.

Hazel greeted each new guest with the same courtesy as the previous guest. She didn’t know how to pick out a husband and she felt uncomfortable that each man she met acted like they deserved her first dance.

Most were polite and didn’t ask about her dance dance, but a few were annoyingly forward and requested a dance with her. She told them she would make her choices as the evening progressed.

The only one who hadn’t politely accepted her refusal had been a young officer in the military named Octavian. He had smiled pleasantly, but there was something about his smile that terrified her. He took her hand and kissed it.

“May I have the honor of your first dance?”

“I will choose my first dance partner when the waltz begins,” Hazel said, and curtsied politely, a clear indication that he should move on to greet Piper, but he did not.

“I would love the pleasure of your company,” he said. “Perhaps I could bring you a drink?”

“No, thank you. I have plenty of guests to meet,” Hazel said.

And thank god for Piper, who took Octavian’s hand and introduced herself. Octavian did not look too impressed with Piper, and as soon as he had moved on, Piper leaned over and whispered, “Not that one.”

Hazel tried to stifle a laugh, but it came out as a small giggle as she took the next gentleman’s hand. Piper had been giving her subtle clues as to which gentlemen were alright in Piper’s book, and which ones were not. Octavian was one Piper didn’t need to comment on, and Piper had done it so obviously. Hazel knew she shouldn’t laugh at the impropriety, but Piper had a way of turning inappropriate timing into humor. It seemed obvious to her why Piper got along with Percy so well, and it seemed obvious why parts of Percy should remind her of Sammy.

When she met Percy, who hadn’t been introduced at all, which she found rather rude of Luke, she gave him an extra firm handshake, meaning it to be encouraging. He seemed to take it as such and nodded. She would have asked him to take the first dance with her, but she assumed he would want to dance with Annabeth. So she said nothing, and let Piper request Percy’s second dance.

Not long after, the Prince of the West arrived. Hazel was not impressed with her cousin. His eyes reminded her a little of Thalia, and she’d met a handful of foreigners with his accent before, but the way he kissed Piper’s hand and lingered as he held it made her uncomfortable. Sure, he was Piper's fiance, but he didn’t have to be inappropriate about it.

The crowd began to move for the first waltz. Piper cast a glance back at Hazel with, “Help me,” written all over her face.

Hazel truly wished she could. She scanned the crowd for a partner for herself. She saw Percy with Annabeth, Luke, and Thalia, and wondered if Percy or Luke might be free to join her. Then Octavian started towards her and she cursed and turned the opposite way. And, thank the gods, the herald announced someone else.

Even though he Prince of the West was supposed to be the last to be announced, Hazel was too grateful to scold the herald for his mistake as he belatedly announced An and Fai Zhang, from the lands beyond the East. Hazel nodded politely to them and was just about to look for a new partner when Piper stepped closer to her and whispered, “Take that one.”

“Which?”

“The boy who just walked in. I like him. Take him.”

It was the first fully positive review Piper had given anyone all night. Until this moment, the most encouraging thing Piper had said about one gentleman was, “His hair isn’t the worst thing ever, I guess.”

So without question, Hazel approached the latecomers, and took Fai Zhang’s hand.

“A pleasure to meet you,” she said. “I’m Hazel Levesque, Princess of the West. Would you take the first dance with me?”

Fai looked back at his grandmother, who nudged his foot with her cane. It must’ve been a hard nudge, because Fai winced.

“Of course,” he said, and let Hazel lead him onto the dance floor.

He was a little clumsy, but he knew what he was doing as he led her through the waltz. He didn’t step on her toes even once. His clumsiness seemed more like he was unsure of his own body weight.

“It’s Frank,” he said suddenly.

“What’s frank?”

“Me. I’m Frank. You can call me Frank.”

“Oh!” Hazel giggled. “Do you like it better than Fai?”

“It’s not really a preference it’s--” He seemed to stumble over his words as much as he stumbled over his feet. “Nevermind. You can call me whatever you like, Princess.”

“I’ll call you Frank if you promise to call me Hazel.”

“That seems fair,” he said, and blushed.

He seemed sweet, and as they danced, he stumbled less. Hazel liked him, and she was glad of Piper’s good judgement, because otherwise she never would have given him a second glance.

“Are you in the military of your home country?” Hazel asked.

“No--it’s a family tradition, to serve, I mean, but my mother came to the West to serve during the war. These are my family’s,” and he gestured to the medals on his chest. “I haven’t earned any for myself yet.”

“I’m sure you will.”

“With all due respect, Prin--er, Miss Hazel, I think we would need to go to war for me to do that, and I have no wish to go to war.”

Hazel hummed in agreement. “Not even for your own advancement?”

“No. For what is right, of course. I’m a soldier, not a coward, but no, not for my own advancement.”

Hazel couldn’t stop smiling. She’d never met a soldier so polite before. Piper really did have good judgement about people.

The waltz ended and she was about to ask him to dance the second with her, but he saw someone over her shoulder and quickly ducked his head. She glanced back to see Octavian approaching.

“Excuse me, Princess," Fai said, "I need to attend to my grandmother.” And he bowed and hurried off.

Hazel thought about running after him. She wouldn’t mind abandoning the dancing for a pleasant conversation with him, and even meeting his grandmother, but someone tapped her shoulder.

She turned to find Octavian at her elbow.

“May I have the next dance, Princess? Unless you are otherwise engaged?”

Hazel looked around to Piper for help, but Piper was quickly extricating herself from the arms of her fiance and taking Percy’s hand.

“Of course, Captain,” she said, and took his hand.

The waltz began and she found Octavian to be a rather firm leader. She didn’t have to put a lot of effort into following him.

“I’m sorry you had to dance with a foreigner,” he said, “who arrived late and interrupted the first waltz.”

“He was quite a pleasant partner,” Hazel said stiffly.

Octavian frowned. “I see.”

Octavian continued to talk to Hazel about his military career, and how decorated he was. She learned what each medal, stripe, and braid on his uniform stood for. She heard all about his ambitions for the Western military, and how he knew she’d be a wonderful leader for their kingdom and support the military.

When the waltz ended, Hazel quickly pulled her hand away, curtsied, and left. She didn’t need to hear another word from Octavian. He was the complete opposite of Frank, and everything she didn’t want in a husband.

Hazel looked around for Piper, thinking they should take a break from the dancing to compare notes on their dates, but she didn’t see Piper anywhere.

She did, however, see someone slip in through the servant’s quarters entrance, dressed in a blue coat like Annabeth’s, but not quite as decorated. It wasn’t the coat, however, that made her heart stop. It was his face, and his dark curly hair, and the gap between his two front teeth.

His eyes met hers across the ballroom and he seemed to recognize her. He started straight for her, and she went straight for him.

They met as the waltz started, and he took her hand. She’d barely breathed, “Sammy,” before he said, “Princess, I have to tell you something. It’s important. You’re in danger.”

This startled Hazel. “What’s wrong? How are you even here? I thought--”

“There isn’t time,” he said. “You and Pipes, and Annabeth, all of you.”

“What are you talking about? How are you even here?”

“It’s a long story,” he said quickly. “I know you probably thought I was dead, but I’m not, and I’ll let Annabeth know as soon as I can. But first, listen, if Annabeth or Thalia announce that the Prince of the West is an imposter, they’ll be accused of trying to start a war. You have to do it. You’re the only one the people will believe.”

Hazel shook her head. “What are you talking about?”

“I’ve got to find the real Prince of the West, and you and Piper need to get to safety. Find a place magic can’t hurt you. There’s a sorceress coming, and we need everyone to fight her.”

“What do you mean you’re going to find the Prince? Let me come with you.”

“It’ll be too dangerous. You all need to stay together. Don’t let anyone leave.” He stepped away from her, towards the doors to the garden.

“I don’t care if it’s dangerous.” Hazel grabbed him and kissed him. She knew she was in public and she shouldn't, but she couldn't help it. “Please, Sammy, let me go with you. I can’t lose you again.”

The boy only stared blankly at her. “Who’s Sammy?”

Hazel’s heart stuck in her throat. But he looked just like Sammy. Did he not remember who he was? He must’ve remembered her. He had headed straight for her when the waltz started. Hazel wanted to ask him what had happened to him, but she was stopped by a scream. She turned to see what happened, and when she looked back to Sammy, he was running to the gardens. Hazel wanted to run after him, but duty stayed her heart, and she went to investigate what had happened.

Hazel found Reyna and Percy crouched over Thalia. She quickly knelt next to them. “What happened?”

Reyna looked up at the crowd and shook her head, ever so slightly. Hazel understood--Not here.

Hazel got to her feet and turned to her guests. “She’s just fainted,” and she even smiled, as if there was nothing to worry about. She turned to a servant and asked him to ready the parlor for them, and to see if Will Solace was nearby to check on Thalia. Annabeth had told her Will would be back in time for the party, but she hadn’t seen him around.

Reyna picked up Thalia, and Percy used his handkerchief to pick something up off the floor and slip it into his pocket. She looked at him suspiciously, but he nodded to Reyna and they all went to the parlor. Hazel stopped to ask the band to play a lively number for the guests before closing the parlor door behind them.

Reyna laid Thalia down on the couch and turned to Hazel. She looked unusually unsure of herself. Hazel had known Reyna for years, and Reyna was always, no matter the circumstance, a picture of controlled confidence. She’d never seen Reyna look so unsettled.

“We were going to talk to Piper,” Reyna said slowly, “when we realized she was missing. Thalia was convinced that the Prince of the West had taken her off somewhere. I told her she wasn’t behaving rationally, that there was no way he could have spirited her off from right under our nose. I handed her an apple and told her to eat something. She did and--she collapsed.”

Percy reached into his pocket and pulled out the apple he’d so carefully retrieved from the ballroom floor. He handed it to Hazel.

“I know how this looks,” Reyna said, “but I didn’t do this. Or at least, I didn’t do it on purpose.”

“Where did the apple come from?” Hazel took it from Percy, careful not to touch it directly. It looked like any other apple.

“A servant walking by. I don’t know.”

Hazel looked at Percy. “Do you have any part in this?”

Percy shook his head.

Reyna said, “He was nowhere nearby when it happened. Only I was there.”

Hazel didn’t think Reyna was covering for Percy. And Percy hadn't been there at all for the incident with the corset. It was unlikely he was involved. She was about to ask Reyna what they should do next when the door opened. Music and laughter filtered into the parlor.

“I just want to check on her, Luke. Give us a minute.” Annabeth’s voice paused, then laughed. “No, I’ll be right back.” She stepped inside and closed the parlor door. Her face was flushed, and she looked out of breath. “Is Thalia alright?”

No one answered.

Annabeth instantly went pale and dropped to Thalia’s side. “She’s not breathing? Oh, gods, she’s not breathing! Where’s Will? Why isn’t anyone doing anything?”

Hazel quietly told Annabeth what had happened and showed her the apple.

Annabeth turned on Reyna. “That’s it, then? You killed her?”

Reyna shook her head. “I didn’t mean--”

Annabeth stood. “Thalia is dead and you are just standing here talking?”

“Do not mistake my calm exterior for apathy,” Reyna said slowly. “I would like to find out who is responsible as much as you.”

Annabeth reached for the knife on her belt. “I know who is responsible.”

“Annabeth, don’t--” Hazel covered her mouth with her hands as Reyna drew her dagger as well.

Percy threw himself in-between the two girls and carefully put his hand on Annabeth’s wrist. He made a series of quick motions with his other hand, too fast for Hazel to interpret. But it calmed Annabeth down, or at least distracted her.

“Piper,” Annabeth said, and lowered her knife. “Where is Piper?”

Percy made another series of signs.

“What do you mean gone? How could she--” Annabeth’s face turned from rage to shock as Percy signed. “She wouldn’t--oh, gods, she would.” Annabeth sank slowly to the floor and looked up at Hazel. “Piper’s in love with someone else, and she’s gone to find him.”

If that boy Piper had told Hazel about had not come, Hazel was not at all surprised that Piper went to find him. The circumstances around the event, however, were highly inconvenient.

Percy knelt next to Annabeth and said something else.

Instead of repeating what he said, Annabeth only shook her head. “That can’t be true.”

Percy pointed to Thalia and repeated the signs.

Annabeth looked up at Hazel, eyebrows knit. “Percy says Thalia suspected the Prince of the West to be an imposter.”

Hazel felt cold and her mouth went dry. “That’s the second time I’ve heard someone say that tonight.”

“From whom?” Reyna asked.

“I met a--” Hazel paused, unsure how to describe the boy who wasn’t Sammy, “--an apparition, of sorts. I’m not sure what he was. He told me the Prince of the West was an imposter, and that we were in danger. Then he left, and told me he was going to help the true Prince of the West.”

“So what do we do now?” Annabeth asked. She wiped a tear from her cheek. “Who could have done this?”

“The laurels and the corset were from me,” Hazel said, “and the apple was from Reyna. I believe someone is trying to trick us into going to war with each other again. We cannot let that happen.”

“If the Prince of the West really is an imposter, and he finds out Piper’s run off, he’ll declare war anyway,” Annabeth said.

“You’re good with magic, Hazel,” Reyna said. “Make me look like Piper for the evening. It will, at the least, buy us time. Perhaps I can even discover if the prince is truly who he says he is.”

Hazel was not sure. She did magic for herself constantly, but she did not do it often for others. “It will help,” she said carefully, “if you behave more like Piper. Be freer with your emotions, and expressive.”

Reyna took a deep breath, and nodded.

Hazel closed her eyes and imagined Piper was sitting in front of her. It wasn’t hard to do. She’d spent a lot of time with Piper over the last year. They’d become very good friends, even if they took completely different approaches to life. But Hazel tried not to let her frustration with Piper for running off cloud how she constructed Piper around Reyna.

When Hazel opened her eyes, she was sitting in a room with Piper, Annabeth, and Percy.

Reyna stood. “I’ll go rejoin the party and see what I can find out about the prince.” Her voice was Piper’s but it didn’t match. It was too controlled, too patient.

“Be expressive,” Hazel said gently as she stood. “Annabeth, I’ll make an excuse to Luke for you. We can’t let anyone know what happened to Thalia.”

Annabeth looked like she was about to protest that she was fine, but she realized that she truthfully was not, and nodded. “Thank you, Hazel.” She tried drying her cheeks, but her tears had begun to flow consistently, whether she willed them or not.

Percy stood, but Annabeth grabbed his hand. “Please,” she said, “will you stay with me?”

As Percy sat back down beside Annabeth, Hazel closed the door. She returned to her guests and tried to look cheerful, ever the pleasant host, as was her duty.

\--- --- ---

It wasn’t difficult for Piper to find the cottage again. She remembered every moment of her time with the boy as clearly as the moon shone. Even though the trees were large and dark, and she was alone, she was unafraid. Of the trees, at least. She was terrified of what she might find inside the cottage.

But when she arrived at the cottage, it was empty. She pushed the door open, dagger in hand, ready to fight off the wolf, but there was no one at all.

“Hello?” she called. Only the sound of her own voice echoed back to her.

She checked upstairs, but even the animal pelt that had served as a bed was gone.

“Is anyone here?” she asked the empty house. An owl shrieked in the distance.

That made Piper shiver. Owls were usually good omens, symbols of Athena, one of the Queens of the East, but the owl she heard sounded more like a screech owl--a symbol of Hades, a king in the West, and she was not about that, not in this creepy empty cottage in the woods.

Piper looked out the window, trying to see if perhaps the boy had climbed out it, but she saw nothing to indicate he’d left this way. Maybe he and the wolf had abandoned the cottage because she’d come. She hated to think that.

Just as Piper made up her mind to start exploring the woods, searching for a trail of blood, there was a blue, glowing light downstairs. Her heart beat faster, excited at the prospect of seeing the boy again. But then she wondered what could possibly be making that light. It didn’t seem natural.

Piper hesitated at the top of the stairs. The blue glow seemed to fade as she approached it, so she stepped a little closer. The light receded.

With each step Piper took down the stairs, the light retreated from her presence, until she was at the bottom of the stairs and the light was only a blue orb in the center of the room.

“Hello, Princess,” a woman’s voice said.

Piper was startled by the greeting and squinted through the darkness. The blue light hovered in the palm of a woman’s hand. For a moment, Piper thought it was her mother, and she took a step back.

“There’s no need to be afraid,” the woman said.

The voice was all wrong. It wasn’t her mother at all. Piper’s mother had a soft, lilting voice, like doves settling onto a branch. This woman spoke more like a shark sinking its teeth into a seal.

But Piper couldn’t get over how much this woman truly looked like her mother. The way her appearance seemed to shift through different definitions of beauty, but without changing beyond recognition. Piper imagined it was how people felt when they tried to figure out her eye color. If you weren’t looking, you wouldn’t notice. But Piper looked at her mother every day, and she noticed.

“What have you done with the boy?” Piper asked. She tightened her hand on the knife.

The woman smiled and raised a hand to Piper. “I’ve come to take you to him. You see, the wolf tried to take him away. I only want to reunite the two of you.”

But Piper trusted this woman about as much as she trusted her mother. “Tell me the truth,” she said, with all the force she could command.

The woman looked startled. “My, you are a powerful speaker, aren’t you? And tell me, does your family want you to use it to negotiate treaties and taxes? My dear, you are far more powerful than that. You could bend nations.”

Piper tried again. “Tell me what you want from me.”

“Come with me, and I will grant you the freedom you so dearly long for.”

This was actually a tempting offer. Piper had been looking for a way out of her arranged marriage since the day it was announced. But she knew there had the be a catch. And she knew she was a more effective interrogator when she demanded answers, rather than accepted questions. “Tell me what’s in it for you.”

The woman closed her open palm and the light vanished. “I’ve taken the souls of two princes now, but there are still a few more pieces that need to be put into place. I don’t have the time to deal with your questions. You may come with me and I will take you to the boy you seek. Or you can choose not to come with me, in which case I will take you to where I need you to go.”

Piper made up her mind very quickly. “I will not be going anywhere with you.”

“That is disappointing. I spoke very highly of you to my sister.” The woman opened her palm and the blue light swallowed the room.

Piper shielded her eyes and rushed forward with her dagger, but the floor gave way beneath her. She tumbled into a dark hole and hit water at the bottom. It was thick, and it seemed to absorb the dim blue light from above. Piper sank and tried desperately to swim up for air, but the water seemed to suck her under.

“Let me breathe!” she shouted into the thick water. Though her words were muffled, and she was now out of air, she found she could swim up more easily.

She broke the surface and took in a huge breath. She groped at the wall. It was slippery, but she found a crack in the stone she could just barely get her fingers into. It was just enough of a grip to support herself so she wouldn’t have tread water.

Piper looked up. The blue light was gone. There was no way to tell if the way above was open or shut. She was too afraid to swim down and look for a way out--what if she couldn’t come back up? Piper closed her eyes and leaned her head against the wall, trying to think what Annabeth would do.


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> lol sorry i lied about percabeth. this chapter is ALL Leo and Piper but I promise NEXT chapter more Percabeth. This one has a dash of Solangelo though. A tiny sprinkling at the end to moisten your palates.

Leo had been having quite a day.

After spending all morning and the better part of the afternoon at sea, fed by birds, he’d washed up on the western shore. A bird showed him the way to the castle and while all the guests were entering through the front, he’d gone in through a servants’ entrance. He’d found a washroom to clean himself up. His uniform hadn’t gotten too mussed on the journey, but his hair was a disaster. It was stiff with salt and he couldn’t help but feel like some sort of child wearing his dad’s uniform or something. He wished Calypso had thought to give him a captain’s cap. Then again, hats weren’t really appropriate for a ball.

After he’d cleaned up, he’d tried to find the ballroom. He probably could’ve asked the servants for help, but they were giving him weird looks for being down in the servants quarters in the first place, so he just smiled politely at them and kept looking.

He’d finally made his way into the ballroom just in time to see the Prince of the West be introduced. Except Leo was pretty sure the Prince of the West he’d seen in the mirror was blonde and dashing. Not dark-haired and gross.

So Leo had disappeared back into the kitchen and checked the mirror. He asked it to show him the Prince of the West, and he saw the true Jason Grace, in a dark room, with a sword in his chest.

“Is that what will happen, what has happened, or what is happening?” Leo asked. The mirror didn’t answer. Leo just had to hope the prince wasn’t dead yet, and he could still save him.

His first instinct was to tell Piper, but he realized if he told Piper or Annabeth, they could accidentally restart the war by calling off the wedding. The only person who could call off the wedding was the Princess of the West.

So he’d gone to tell her what was happening, and she’d kissed him.

Leo was still trying to figure that one out. He almost didn’t leave to help the prince. Annabeth had said he could marry the Princess of the West--and clearly the princess liked him--but he knew somehow that if he stayed, the Prince of the West would die. Leo couldn’t live with that on his conscience.

He opened the mirror up so he could ask it how to save the prince, but a dove flitted in front of him and chirped in agitation. The bird led him down to the stables.

As he saddled a powerful chestnut horse, he said, “You really are Calypso’s right? I’m not just following some weird bird who’s like, just as confused as I am?”

The bird twittered.

“I’m going to assume that’s a yes.”

Leo climbed onto the horse and the bird flew off toward the castle gates. He followed it out of the castle, into the woods, and all the way to a clearing with a small cottage. He dismounted and looked around. It looked like a perfectly ordinary cottage in the woods.

Leo walked up to the door and knocked. “Hey, Princey? You home? And like, not bleeding to death? Happy birthday, by the way.”

He let a moment of silence pass before opening the door. It wasn’t locked or anything. Leo didn’t know if that was a good thing or a bad thing. He braced himself to find the Prince of the West dying or already dead, but the room was empty. Nothing but an empty fireplace and a nearby water pump.

He stepped forward cautiously. “Hello?”

His own voice echoed back to him. It was oddly high-pitched, and he cleared his throat. He didn’t see any princes, dead or otherwise. He saw the set of stairs to his left and figured he should at least check up there. He thought about lighting a candle or something, but shivered at the thought of a flame. He could navigate through the dark just fine.

It turned out to be a good idea to shuffle slowly through the dark, because if he hadn’t been shuffling, he would’ve fallen straight through the ground.

He felt his foot drop just before he reached the stairs and quickly pulled it away. He looked down, but in the dim moonlight, the floor looked like the same dirt floor as the rest of the cabin. He knelt at the edge of it and put his hand on it. It passed through the floor.

“Okay, guessing if there’s an illusion around, there’s probably a witch nearby.” 

“Leo?” someone said.

It sounded like it came from the floor. He really hoped it wasn’t the witch. “Uh, who’s asking?”

“Oh, gods, Leo you’re alive, I knew it! It’s Piper. I’m stuck in this well down here. I can’t see up. Can you see me?”

Her voice sounded like Piper’s, and it even echoed like the bottom of a well, but this definitely felt like a trap. Piper was supposed to be at a ball with her fake-fiance. He pulled out the mirror and said, “Show me where Piper is.” And it did indeed show him Piper, in a pretty purple ball gown, clinging to the wall of a dark well.

That didn’t mean the girl below him really was Piper, though.

“If you’re really Pipes,” he said, “what’s my favorite food?”

“You’ll eat anything with red pepper in it. Now hurry up and lower a rope or something. I’m freezing down here, and my arms hurt.”

Leo looked around the cabin but wasn’t sure what he could use. It was pretty empty. And he had no way of knowing how far down Piper was. He found a curtain rod hanging over a window, but no curtains. There were some blankets in a cupboard, with some animal skins, but they were too thick to tear into strips or to tie together. Then he found rope, hidden in the back of the cupboard.

He went back to the hole--feeling with his hands to find the edge--and lowered the rope.

“Can you reach it?” he shouted down.

“Reach what?” Piper asked. “I can’t see anything down here.”

Leo looked at the end of the rope he was holding and stretched into the hole as far as he dared. “Anything?” he asked.

“Nothing.”

Leo sighed and pulled the rope back up. Then he got an idea. He grabbed the curtain rod and knotted it one end of the rope around it. It gave him an extra four feet.

“How about now?” he shouted down to the floor. It certainly felt weird, talking to a floor. 

“I feel something,” Piper said. “I really hope it’s your rope.”

Leo moved around the edge of the hole and braced himself against the stair railing. “Okay, whenever you’re ready.”

He felt Piper’s weight on the rope and nearly pitched in himself. Gods, she was heavy. It probably didn’t help that he was made of bird bones.

Almost as terrifying as the image of the prince stabbed, was Piper crawling out of the floor, dripping with thick black water. But it was only Piper, not some terrifying apparition, and as they panted from the effort, she grinned at him.

He grinned back. “Looking good, Princess. Your mother’s going to have a fit when she sees you.”

She laughed and looked down at her ruined gown. “Then maybe we should not go back.”

Leo stood up and stretched. He stepped carefully around the hole and helped Piper do the same. They walked gingerly to the door, wary of more pitfalls.

“What are you even doing out here, anyway?” he asked.

“Me? What about you. You were shipwrecked.”

“I got a boat home,” he shrugged. “You’re the one wandering the woods in a ball gown.”

“I was looking for someone,” she said. “I’m not going back until I find him.”

Leo frowned. “Who are you looking for? Don’t you have like, a wedding tomorrow?”

Piper made a face. “That guy is absolutely gross. Maybe he’ll call off the wedding by the time I make it back.”

They got outside the cabin and Leo found the dove still waiting. “Well, the fiance at the ball is a fake. I’m off to find your real husband.”

Instead of being surprised, Piper looked relieved. “You being alive, saving me, and telling me that guy’s not my fiance? Good things really do come in threes. Now I just need to find a wolf and her human pup.”

Leo probably should tell Piper to go back to the castle, that the way he was going was dangerous, and it was important for her to be in the palace with everyone else, but he couldn’t do it. He missed Piper. And he really needed to tell her everything that had happened. He needed her to tell him it was going to be okay. If she said it, he might believe it.

As she wrung out as much of the black liquid from her dress as she could, and they mounted Leo’s horse to follow the dove, Leo told her everything that had happened to him over the last day, or however long it was. She seemed pretty chill about everything he said. At least, she didn’t freak out or call him a liar. She only had one question.

“The Prince of the West,” she said slowly, “did he have a scar on his lip?”

Leo shrugged. “I think so.”

She didn’t tell him why she asked, but maybe she meant to because the next thing she did was grab his shoulders and shout, “Leo! Look out!”

He yanked on the reigns, but his horse was already skidding to a stop. It had seen what Leo hadn’t been paying attention to--a rock wall, smack in front of them. The bird flew straight through the wall.

Leo figured it was like the floor in the cabin had been, but his horse refused to approach it. So Leo dismounted and tried to walk through it. He nearly broke his nose on the rock.

“What the hell, man?” he asked the rock, and rubbed his nose.

“It’s an illusion,” Piper said.

“Yeah, I got that when the bird went through it. Why can’t I go through it?”

Piper slid off the horse and walked up to the rock wall. She put her hand on it, but it wouldn’t budge for her either.

She frowned at it, then said in a tone more commanding than Leo had ever heard from any of his superior officers, “Move aside.”

The giant rock rolled out of the way.

“Pipes, you’re amazing.”

She curtsied in her ruined dress then stepped through. Leo followed quickly, afraid the rock might shut him out. The horse, still, refused to follow, so he left it.

There was no sign of the dove, but Leo had a pretty good idea where to go. At the center of the hidden valley, illuminated by the nearly-full moon, was a tall tower. Leo had a feeling they’d find the Prince of the West at the top. He just hoped they’d find him before he got stabbed.

“How do we get up there?” Piper asked.

Leo didn’t see any way in except for a window at the top. “You could ask it for stairs,” he suggested.

“I think my charm speak only works on illusions. So maybe if it’s an illusion, but if it’s not….”

They walked to the tower and Piper asked it for stairs, but the tower didn’t comply.

“It must be pretty solid,” she said.

“We could climb?” Leo suggested.

Piper wrinkled her nose. She’d just climbed out of a well. He imagined climbing a tower didn’t sound very appealing right now. He didn’t really want to do it either. If he slipped it would be a long way down.

“I don’t want to either, but what else can we do?” He checked again for a door, but there was nothing. Not even a part of the wall that would let him fall into it.

He was just about to suggest they go back for the rope when the wall in front of them melted away.

“Wow, Pipes, I didn’t even hear--”

“That wasn’t me,” she whispered and grabbed his arm, backing away from the tower and pulling him with her as she did.

All around them, thorns ripped up through the earth. Thick patches of briar encircled the valley and started to creep towards the tower. Leo took Piper’s hand and squeezed it tightly. She squeezed back.

A woman in a long black dress stepped out and eyed them. Her upper lip curled back. “Circe told me she took care of both of you. I suppose if you want something done right, you’ll have to do it yourself.”

Leo swallowed hard. This was the woman who had killed his mother. He suddenly felt horribly unarmed, with only a mirror. Sure it could show him truth, but he had a feeling this sorceress was going to do more than grow some creepy thorns.

The thorns, however, hardly seemed like a problem as the sorceress started to change. She got taller, then wider. The bottom of her robes turned into a long, slithering tail and her arms turned into talons. The folds of her dress sprouted into wings and suddenly, she hit the ground on all fours, a huge black dragon, head as high as the tower.

She shot fire over their heads, and the dry thorns caught quickly. The smell of burning wood filled Leo’s nose and he was suddenly paralyzed with terror. He couldn’t move, even as a giant claw grabbed for him. If it wasn’t for Piper, pulling him and shouting, “Run!” with all her power, he would’ve been dragon dinner.

He didn’t know where they were running. There was nowhere to hide in this valley. Their only way out was sealed by burning thorns. He wondered if they could disappear into the tower, but he figured the dragon would just knock it down.

Piper pulled him into a batch of thorns that hadn’t caught fire yet. Leo nearly nicked his shoulder on a particularly large thorn, but ducked at the last second.

“What do we do?” he asked Piper, eyeing the fast-spreading fire.

She pulled a small knife from somewhere in her dress. “This is all I could keep on me in this thing. What do you have?”

He pulled out the mirror. “This is literally it.”

Piper frowned. Then she reached up and whispered something to the thorn bush. It dropped a thorn into Leo’s hand. It was a pretty big thorn, with a handle and everything.

“You’re amazing, Princess, really.”

Piper made a face at him. “Compliment me after we kill this thing.”

“Can’t you just tell it to stop? It’s an illusion.”

“I’m going to do my best, but I don’t think I’ll have much power over her. She’s pretty strong. Now move.” And she shoved Leo out of the branches just as he was starting to feel warm. The edge of her dress caught on a thorn as she tried to follow. Leo helped her tug until the fabric tore off and she was free.

“Any tips on fighting a dragon?” Piper asked as they ran towards the tower.

“Never fought one before,” Leo confessed. “But if I were a dragon, I’d really hate being stabbed in the heart.”

“Good call. Divide and conquer?”

Leo nodded. “Equally good call.” He started for the left and Piper went right. 

Unfortunately, fire didn’t care which direction it went, as long as it spread. So when the dragon spat a fresh jet of flames into the valley, it headed towards Leo and Piper. The only place there really wasn’t fire was right underneath the dragon. It stomped out the flames every time it moved. That was at least convenient, as long as he didn’t mind getting squashed to death instead of burned to death.

Leo ran for the dragon’s stomach, slid behind its foreleg, and ran his thorn-knife along its belly, and rushed out the other side as it reared from the pain. He was feeling pretty good about the blow, but then the thrashing tail caught him in the stomach and he fell to the ground. He struggled to his feet and tried to fill his lungs with air again. They didn’t seem to want to work, and the increasing amount of smoke wasn’t really helping. He coughed and tried to get behind the tower, out of reach of its tail.

He saw Piper, who had climbed some thorns. They were charred, but the fire had been put out. Leo wondered if the fire had burnt out on its own, or if she’d commanded it to extinguish itself. Either way, she was a picture of absolute power as she stood on top of the patch of briars and shouted at the dragon, brandishing a knife that was little bigger than the size of her palm.

“You want a piece of me, witch? I’m the princess you’ve been afraid of since the war started. I’m the princess who was prophesied to kill you, so face me and your fate! Come on!”

The dragon faced Piper and drew its head back for a breath of fire. Leo ran forward, visions of Piper burning to death in his head.

“No!” he shouted, and leapt on the tail. He ran up the length of the dragon, ducking between its spines and stabbing in-between scales as he went. The dragon reared beneath him and he clung to a spine to keep from crashing to ground. It was spitting fire, and all Leo could do was hang on and pray Piper wasn’t in it’s path.

“Face me!” Piper’s voice washed through the entire valley and even Leo turned at the command.

“Pipes, no!” but his voice sounded so weak and pale next to hers.

The dragon snapped at Piper but she jumped out of the way and the dragon bit on a thorn instead. It snarled and thrashed. Leo was thrown off its back and slammed into the tower. He was pretty sure he blacked out for the falling to the ground part, because the next thing he knew, he was picking himself up out of the dirt and everything hurt. His vision was spotted, but he saw Piper, running through the briars, fire disappearing before her, and the dragon snapping at her heels.

That was when Leo saw where she was headed--the highest part of the thorny barrier. Not quite high enough to climb out of the enclosure, but high enough to be level with the dragon’s head.

Piper climbed to the top, dress torn, stained, and charred, panting, and using a particularly large thorn for support.

“Is that all you got?” she shouted at the dragon.

The dragon snarled and reared back to engulf Piper in its fiery breath. That was when Piper jumped. Leo could barely shout, “No!” as Piper fell through the air until her dagger caught right in the dragon’s chest.

“Piper!” he shouted and ran forward, ducking under the thrashing tail and just jumping out of the way of a leg that came crashing down.

The flames in the valley fizzled out, the thorns crumpled back into the earth, and the dragon fell to the ground right on top of Piper.

Everything in the valley was still. Leo could barely even breathe, and certainly couldn’t move. He didn’t dare take a step closer. All he wanted was to see Piper crawl out from under the dragon and it wasn’t happening.

Then the dragon started to move, and Leo tightened his grip on his thorn dagger--only to find it wasn’t there. It had disappeared with the rest of the briars. He was doomed.

But thank the gods, the dragon didn’t get up. It shrivelled in on itself until it was nothing but a black cloak on the ground. Then the cloak started to move, and Leo prepared himself to pounce on the witch and claw her face off, or something, but the witch didn’t climb out. It was Piper.

Leo ran forward and hugged her. “Oh gods, Pipes, I thought you were dead. You’re crazy.”

Piper hugged him back and even kissed his forehead. “We’re both alive. And she’s done for.”

Leo took a deep breath and let Piper go. He could feel his heart rate slowly returning to normal--well, normal for him. “I guess we’ve just got one sorceress and a tower left to deal with.”

“I bet I know where we can find some stairs,” Piper said, and they walked to the new hole in the tower’s wall, where the sorceress had come out. Leo looked up the staircase and felt a little dizzy.

“You want to climb it, and I’ll wait down here?” he suggested. “I climbed a dragon already today.”

“I killed a dragon,” Piper said and took his hand. “This will be nothing in comparison.”

Climbing the stairs felt like it took an eternity. Leo had to keep telling himself, “One more step, one more step,” every time. He didn’t know how many one-more-steps he took before Piper finally pushed open a trapdoor and pulled him into a room at the top of the tower.

Leo flopped onto the floor, exhausted. He panted for a minute, then opened his eyes and found himself staring straight at a human skull. He yelped and scrambled to his feet, exhaustion vanishing in the face of a sudden adrenaline rush.

“Holy Styx,” he grumbled and backed into Piper. “What is this place? That better not be the prince we came to save.”

Piper shook her head. “But he’s here somewhere. I can tell.”

Leo didn’t ask how.

Besides a pile of bones on the floor, there was a little sink and a four-poster bed. The only light came from a single candle in the middle of the floor, illuminating a boy, leaning against the bed. He looked half-awake, or maybe half-alive.

Leo knew this boy wasn’t part of the seven Calypso had told him about, but his face was familiar. He’d seen it in the mirror at least once, but he couldn’t remember why.

Piper knelt next to the boy.

“Are you alright?” she asked.

“He’s dying,” the boy said, and looked up at the ceiling. “I can’t keep him up there much longer.”

“You’re doing wonderfully,” Piper said. “Just hold on for a little bit more and I’ll take care of it.”

Leo had no idea what Piper was talking about. 

She turned around and said, “Leo, get me a way up into the ceiling.”

Leo raised an eyebrow. He didn’t exactly have a lot of tools here in this sparse room. He looked up and frowned. “Can I get more light, maybe?” He squinted. There was definitely a crack there, above the bed. He climbed onto the bed and looked up. There was no way he could reach it, even if he climbed up on the post at the end of the bed. So he pointed for Piper. “That should get you up there.”

She nodded. “I don’t know what I’m going to find up there,” she said, “and I don’t know what this boy is doing, but you need to keep him awake. I know that much.”

Leo shrugged his shoulders. “Whatever you say, Princess.”

\--- --- ---

Piper was exhausted, and she had no idea what she was doing, but she trusted her gut, and her gut said the boy she was looking for, who was also the Prince of the West, was in this tower, and he was dying, and the dirty, messy boy in the tower was the only thing keeping her prince alive. So she pushed on the loose tile of the ceiling until it came free. She ignored the dust that fell into her eyelashes and pulled herself up into the dim attic.

“Piper, is that you?” a familiar voice whispered.

“Will? What are you doing here? How did you--”

“I should be asking you the same thing.”

She could barely make out his shape in the light of a single candle, nearly burned to the end of its wick. Behind Will, though, she could see the boy she’d met in the woods, lying on the ground, sword through his heart.

Her throat closed up and she put a hand to her mouth. He was not dead. She wouldn’t let him die on her.

“Will, what happened to him?”

“I don’t know. I found him like this. I tried to take the sword out, but--” He showed her his hands and she could see in the faint light that they were blistered.

“It’s like hot gold,” he said. “He’s still alive, gods know how, but I don’t know what I can do to save him.”

Piper didn’t know what she could do either, but she knew she was going to try. She wrapped her hands around the hilt of the sword. It burned, but she was still rushing with adrenaline from her fight with the dragon, and the pain felt like little more than a sting among several dozen aches in the rest of her body. She yanked the sword out and the boy’s chest lurched with the movement.

She knew her powers only worked on illusions, but she also knew she had to try to save this boy. She knelt next to him and whispered, “Please, live. I need you to be alive.” She put her hand over his chest, trying to push the blood back inside him. “Jason Grace--that’s your name, isn’t it?” But he didn’t respond. Piper pushed her hand against his chest. “Wake up,” she pleaded, her voice growing more desperate. “Jason, wake up!” She could feel him moving beneath her hand, but his eyes wouldn’t open. Something in her told her he was alive, but only barely, and she didn’t know what else there was to do for him.

She leaned down, and gently pressed her lips to his. “Jason, you’re going to live,” she whispered.

And his lips, beneath hers, took in a deep breath. His eyes opened, that same stormy blue they’d been when she’d met him, the blue that had looked so wrong on her fake fiance, and she almost cried with relief.

“Oh, gods, you’re really alive.”

He looked confused, but happy to see her. His lip twitched in a weak smile. “Hey--it’s you. I thought I’d never see you again.”

Piper slowly helped him sit up while Will started to check the wound in his chest. Piper’s hand was still stained with his blood, but the wound seemed to have closed on its own.

Jason looked a little sad as Piper met his eyes again.

“What is it?” she asked.

He bit down on his upper lip, teeth tugging at the scar. “I--I have to tell you. I found out I’m engaged. So I’m not sure--”

Piper couldn’t help it. She started to laugh. She might’ve kept on laughing, aggravating every ache in her body, if Leo’s voice hadn’t called up to them.

“Hey! The kid passed out! Piper, I don’t know what to do!”

Will left Jason without a second’s hesitation and slipped into the chamber below. Piper was a little slower, and slipped an arm under Jason’s shoulder.

“Do you feel okay?” she asked.

“Weak,” he said. “And my head hurts like I got hit with a boulder. But… I’m definitely alive.”

She helped him down from the trap door in the ceiling, and then followed. Will was next to the boy, taking his pulse, and checking him for injuries. Leo stood nearby, helpless.

“What’s wrong with him?” Piper asked.

“Where do I start?” Will grumbled. “That witch has barely been keeping him alive.”

Piper thought she might as well try to repeat her trick with Jason, if she could. She knelt next to Will and said, as gently and forcefully as she could, “You’re going to be alright.”

The boy stirred and his eyes opened. He looked a her, dark eyes full of a sad hopelessness Piper remembered from her own reflection, the week before her wedding.

“Is he alright?” the boy asked her in a weak voice.

“He’s alive, just like you are,” she said.

“I didn’t mean to,” the boy said. “Tell him I didn’t mean to.”

“Are you the one who stabbed him?” This shocked Piper for some reason. Maybe because this boy looked small enough to be carried off by a strong gust of wind. She couldn’t imagine him overpowering someone as tall and strong as Jason.

He shook his head. “The bones--she told me they were my sister’s. I thought--I believed her. I don’t know why I believed her. They weren’t my sister’s and the soldier I brought back stabbed him. I didn’t know what she was planning. Tell him I’m sorry. I did everything I could to keep his soul from leaving his body and--”

“He knows,” Piper said quickly, eyes meeting Jason’s.

“You need to rest,” Will told the boy. “That much magic in one day could kill anyone, no matter how powerful a magic user you are.” He looked meaningfully a Piper, and Piper couldn’t imagine how he knew how much magic she’d been using today.

“Rest,” Piper told the boy, and he did.

Will slipped his arms underneath the boy and picked him up. “I need to get him back to the palace.” He looked at Piper, then Jason, then Leo. “All of you need to be looked over. I won’t take no for an answer.”

No one objected and Leo led them back down the stairs. Will carried the boy, and Piper let Jason lean on her, even though she was beginning to feel weak herself, as her high from the battle began to fade.

They stepped out of the tower just as the sun began to turn pink over the horizon. Piper took in a deep breath of the fresh morning air and laced her fingers with Jason’s. For the first time in months, as battered and exhausted as she was, she felt free.


	11. The Last Night

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Percy's last night with Annabeth isn't all that romantic after all. Frank gets into trouble with his commanding officer.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Finally, here is the Percabeth I promised, and it will be wonderfully heartbreaking from here on out, until we get to the end. You're welcome.
> 
> Also, sidenote, Dakota is probably my favorite Roman and I love using him for comic relief in literally all my fics. And I wish I actually had the time to develop a romance between him and Gwen, but I also feel like few would care about my side-character, underdeveloped, no-screen-time OTP.

Annabeth didn’t cry often. She’d cried when she’d lost her first battle. She’d cried when her first mate Silena had died. And she was crying now.

Not just for Thalia, but for everything that had happened this week. She cried for Thalia, for Leo, for her crew, for Piper and Hazel. She cried for her country and for the resurgence of what felt like an inevitable war. 

She cried until she had no tears left, and it wasn’t until then that she even remembered Percy was still with her.

She sniffed and pulled herself out of his arms. She wanted to thank him for staying with her, but she couldn’t quite bring herself to look at him. She must look like a mess right now, and she was embarrassed he’d seen her cry, and embarrassed she’d asked him to stay--especially after he’d seen her kiss Luke.

She was an awful person, for pulling him along like this. But the truth was, she didn’t know if she honestly liked Luke or just the idea of him saving her. He was kind and polite, and everything she’d imagined in a boyfriend.

Then there was Percy, who she couldn’t understand, who she definitely enjoyed as a friend and wanted to get to know, but she wasn’t sure if she honestly cared for Percy or if she just felt responsible for him because she’d found him when she’d lost Leo.

And now, after what had happened to Thalia, Annabeth wasn’t sure why she even stopped to consider Percy and Luke. She had enough going on in her life that she didn’t need boys to complicate it. But even knowing that, she couldn’t stop thinking about the two of them. And that made her feel even worse. She wasn’t used to her heart supplanting her head this way, and she wished Piper was here to help her fix it.

“I’m sorry,” she said quietly. Her throat felt raw and her voice sounded foreign to her. “I shouldn’t have asked you to stay.”

He shook his head and took her hand. She was glad he spelled into her palm because her eyes were having trouble focusing.

N-O-T-U-L-O-N. _Not alone._

She thought about correcting his spelling, but decided it wasn’t necessary. She’d understood him just fine. She’d been understanding him a lot more easily lately.

She squeezed his hand and whispered, “Thank you.”

He squeezed back.

She got to her feet and checked her face in the glass of the window. 

“Gods, I can’t go out there looking like this.” She wiped her cheeks and pushed on her puffy eyes, as if she could will them back to normal. 

She noticed Percy still sat on the floor. She wondered if the wounds on his legs were hurting.

“I suppose you don’t have this problem,” she sighed. “Big strong men don’t feel emotion.”

Percy shook his head. He spelled K-A-N-T.

“Can’t what?”

K-R-I

“You can’t cry? At all?” She’d never met someone who physically couldn’t cry. “That must be nice.”

He shook his head and put his hand on his chest.

That was all he needed to do and Annabeth understood what he meant immediately. She imagined the feeling of your heartbreaking and being completely unable to cry, unable to release that emotion. Like trying not to laugh and having to contain it inside until it feels like it’s going to burst out.

She felt pity for him, then worse for herself, for everything she’d put him through. “I’m sorry,” she said again.

He waved his hand dismissively, like it wasn’t her fault, but she certainly felt like it was. She wanted to hug him again, but that wouldn’t be fair to him. She couldn’t give him what he wanted, not right now, and maybe not ever. There were too many other, far more important things for her to deal with.

She swallowed down a fresh bout of tears as she looked at Thalia. “We should cover her,” she said, and reached for the blanket draped over the back of the couch.

Percy grabbed her wrist and shook his head.

“She really does look like she could be sleeping,” Annabeth sighed, and pulled her hand back. She wiped her hands over her cheeks one more time and looked up at Percy. “Well, how do I look?”

He hesitated with his answer, which Annabeth took as a bad sign, then Percy signed P-R-F-E-K-T.

Annabeth felt a little bit of a blush rise in her cheeks, then scolded herself for feeling flattered. “I don’t look like I’ve been crying my eyes out for the last thirty minutes?”

He made the sign for “yes” then spelled B-U-T-O-K.

Annabeth’s heart fluttered the way it had when she’d opened her door for Luke just the other morning. She didn’t like the way she couldn’t control it.

“Well, I suppose I will just have to hope Luke doesn’t notice.” She held her arm out to Percy. “I believe I owe you a dance, if you’d like to join me, and if your legs don’t hurt too badly.”

He stood and made the sign for “no pain.” Annabeth didn’t believe him. He pointed at her and spelled S-E-R.

“I’m sure,” she said, even though her own legs felt like jelly as they left the parlor and headed to the ballroom. She’d rather dance and feel like she was doing something.

She saw Piper--no, Reyna--dancing with the prince. Hazel had abstained from dancing and looked like she was searching the room for someone, while patiently listening to a blonde soldier talk her ear off.

Then Luke was at her side and gently touched her arm.

“Are you alright?” he asked. “I was worried about you.”

She tried to laugh, but she wasn’t sure how genuine it was. “I’m fine. I just wanted to--” she paused and swallowed down her tears before her voice could break, “--just make sure Thalia was alright.”

“You don’t look well,” Luke said doubtfully, and eyed Percy suspiciously.

“Perhaps whatever Thalia came down with is catching,” she said quickly. 

Luke slowly pulled his eyes away from Percy and seemed to buy her lie. “Then perhaps we should sit down,” he suggested, as the music for the dance ended. “I can get you something to drink.”

“I promised Percy a dance,” she said firmly. 

Luke looked like he was going to protest, but glanced at Percy one more time and nodded. She wasn’t sure if it was good or bad that he chose not to fight in front of Percy, but she decided she definitely didn’t like the way he leaned over and kissed her cheek before walking away. It was too protective, and not in a good way. It was more like he was using her to posture in front of Percy and it made her mad.

Annabeth saw Hazel take the hand of the boy she’d danced the first dance with and slip into the middle of the dance floor with him. She watched Reyna wearily take the prince’s hand again, and she took Percy’s. Her heart wasn’t in dancing, but it sounded better than sitting on the side, talking to Luke. At least if she was with Percy, she could be honest with her grief. 

Percy was, unsurprisingly, not very coordinated with dancing. His steps were delicate, but he followed her instead of leading. She didn’t mind. She could lead without really thinking about it, which was good because her thoughts were far from the dance.

Percy signed O-K, into her hand and she realized he was trying to ask how she was doing.

She signed O-K back and tried to smile at him. But she felt her lip quiver and looked away.

She wondered what Percy was thinking. Was he grieving Thalia as well? Was he worrying about her? Or was he thinking about kissing her again?

She risked another glance at him and found him staring at her. Her cheeks grew warm. He always seemed so open about his feelings. They were so consistently present. She envied his ability to express himself honestly. At least he knew how he felt, and here she was, with too many conflicting concerns to even be sure what she wanted.

“I meant what I said before,” she managed in a small voice. “You really are welcome on any ship of mine.” Awkward kiss or no, Percy was good on a boat. At least it was one thing she could be sure of.

Percy, however, looked less sure. He bit down on his lip and shook his head. With eyes that looked less like the sea and more like shattered glass, he said, H-O-M.

“You’re going home?”

He nodded.

Annabeth couldn’t help but feel her heart break. She’d known Percy for two days and would be sorry to lose him.

“When will you go?”

T-O-M-A-R-O.

“I’m sure your family will be glad to know you’re safe.”

Percy shrugged his shoulders.

She frowned. “If you don’t want to see them, why are you going back?”

Percy didn’t answer, but his eyes drifted to the corner where Luke was standing.

“Don’t leave because of him.” She hadn’t meant to say those words, but she did mean them as she said them. “That’s ridiculous.”

Percy only shook his head, and she wished she could understand what he was thinking. As frustrated as she was for not understanding her own feelings, she knew that she didn’t want Percy to leave her just because Luke might like her. But she couldn’t ask him to wait around for her to make up her mind, either.

The waltz came to an end and they stopped dancing. Annabeth felt the strange urge to lean forward and kiss Percy. She didn’t understand what he was trying to tell her with those large, sad eyes of his, but she thought that maybe this was what he wanted, and maybe this would make him stay. But was it really fair of her to kiss him just to make him stay? How selfish was she?

Despite her doubts, she found herself leaning forward.

She never got to know if Percy would actually return the kiss, because they were interrupted by a loud smack.

The entire ballroom gasped, and turned to the source of the sound.

Reyna had slapped The Prince of the West across the face and there was a burning red handprint on his face.

“Don’t you ever touch me like that,” Reyna snapped.

“But I am your fiance,” he protested. “It eez only--”

“I don’t care who you are! You do not--”

Hazel was suddenly at Reyna’s side and put a warning hand on her arm. “Piper,” she said, meaningfully.

But it didn’t calm Reyna’s temper. Annabeth had only been friends with Reyna during this last year of peace and didn’t know her well, other than her battle records, but she knew Reyna to be a strong leader, and in control of her emotions. Perhaps she’d gotten too into pretending to be Piper, because Reyna’s temper suddenly seemed out of control.

“You have been nothing but inappropriate with me all evening,” she snapped. “Your foreign education has done nothing for your manners. You’re hardly a prince.”

“Piper,” Hazel warned one more time, and now Annabeth was quickly pushing her way forward.

Reyna looked at Hazel, and Annabeth knew Reyna was about to announce the prince to be an imposter. But she was still Piper to the crowds. It had to be Hazel.

“I was promised a princess,” the prince said.

Luke was suddenly at Annabeth’s side, pulling on her arm. “Annabeth, we need to get out of here,” he whispered.

She was five people away from reaching Reyna and Hazel. “Leave? Why?”

“I have a bad feeling about this,” was his only explanation as he tried to lead her out of the palace.

Annabeth pulled her arm away from him. “I’m not leaving my friends.”

“You poisoned Thalia,” Reyna said suddenly, and the crowd collectively gasped.

Annabeth’s heart dropped into her stomach. Reyna clearly had gotten too into the role of Piper. Or perhaps Reyna felt stronger than Annabeth had realized.

“You poisoned her because she recognized you for the fake you are. You’re not the real prince. What have you done with the real Jason Grace?”

There was a moment of complete silence. Annabeth was sure that the prince would deny the charges, accuse “Piper” of trying to get out of the arranged marriage.

Before he could defend himself, Hazel intervened.

“Princess Piper is right. Someone has been trying to kill Lieutenant Thalia since she arrived in the West. She recognized you as soon as she saw you, and so did I.”

Annabeth felt relieved. If “Piper” and Hazel stood together, that might be enough to maintain the peace. Maybe that’s what Reyna had been counting on.

Luke tugged on her arm again. “Annabeth, I don’t like the look in that guy’s eyes.”

She pulled away from Luke and pushed forward. She found Percy right next to her as she approached Hazel and Reyna. He wasn’t looking at her--his eyes were intent on the false prince, preparing for an attack--but her heart fluttered anyway.

Then a gust of wind burst through the open doors to the garden and through the entire ballroom. It was cold for a summer wind, and threw open the grand entrance doors as well. Guests scattered, running for cover and exits.

Percy pulled Annabeth and Hazel close to him, shielding them from the worst of the blast.

Reyna--no longer Piper, the illusion blown away--drew her sword from her waist. “Who are you?” she shouted at the prince.

“You--You are not Princess Piper!” he shouted, enraged. “How dare you stand zere and accuse me of treachery? Perhaps you are ze one who poisoned Thalia Grace so you could impersonate ze princess! Treason! Warmongering General of the West!”

Annabeth had never heard anyone give Thalia a last name before. Thalia had always said her duty was to Lady Artemis, not her family, and she’d given up her family name. How had this impersonator known it? She guessed this plot to take the prince’s throne went a lot further than just the events of the last few days.

The blond soldier who had aggressively pursued Hazel all evening stepped forward. “General Reyna, how could you? As Captain Octavian of the First, I’m obligated to arrest you.”

“No,” Hazel said and stood between Octavian and Reyna. “As your princess, I order you to stand down. Arrest this man,” she pointed at the prince, “for impersonating Jason Grace, the true Prince of the West, brother to Lieutenant Thalia Grace.”

Annabeth always hated how many titles were given in the West, but she appreciated it now, the way it gave Hazel authority and connected Thalia to Jason. 

She unsheathed her sword and stood beside Reyna. “No one is looking for war. We only want the imposter dealt with.”

“The only evidence of an impersonation we have,” Octavian said cooly, “is General Reyna impersonating the Princess of the East.”

“At my request,” Hazel said, gold eyes flashing.

“Then you are both guilty.”

“You will stand down,” Hazel shouted.

“You will arrest zem! All of zem!” the prince demanded.

“I am only doing my duty,” Octavian said, hand on his sword.

“Your duty is to your princess!” came a shout from the crowd.

Most of the guests had fled in the burst of wind, but one stepped forward--the boy in red, from the lands beyond the east, who had arrived late.

Octavian scoffed as Fai Zhang stepped forward. “You know nothing of duty, _foreigner_.”

Both soldiers drew their swords.

Annabeth kept one eye on the prince and another on Octavian and Fai Zhang. She didn’t know who was going to jump into battle first. She wondered briefly where Luke was, and if he had fled without her. She could see Percy out of the corner of her eye, standing next to Hazel. She felt a strange swell in her chest, just knowing he was there.

“Arrest zem,” the prince repeated, “for treason and murder!”

“No one ever said Thalia was dead,” Reyna snarled, and jumped forward, sword aimed for the prince’s heart.

She was knocked backwards by another gust of wind and to Annabeth’s shock and horror, the prince lifted into the air, on enormous wings, feathered in a dark, rich purple.

“Fine. Perhapz I am not ze prince I said I was.” The temperature in the room dropped so suddenly Annabeth felt like she’d been submerged in a lake. “Perhapz I did poison ze girl. But I was promised rewards for my troubles, and if I cannot have a kingdom or a princess, zen I will tear zem all down.”

Annabeth pushed herself up, but had difficulty standing against the strength of the wind. “How do we fight this?” She had to shout for Reyna to hear her, even though Reyna was still right next to her.

Reyna stood up, frost beginning to build on her eyelashes. “Percy seems to have an idea.”

Annabeth shielded her face against the worst of the wind and saw Percy heading towards the stairway to the balcony. She couldn’t figure out how he was moving so efficiently. She was afraid to pick her feet off the ground for fear she’d fall over again. Reyna seemed to have a similar struggle, for as she moved towards Hazel, she slid her feet along the ballroom floor, keeping as much traction as she could, even as the floor started to grow a thin layer of frost.

Reyna helped Hazel up and Annabeth noticed that Octavian had fled, but the young foreigner had stayed. He was using his large frame to shield Hazel from the worst of the cold winds. Annabeth carefully slid her way over to them and glanced at Percy. He’d reached the top of the stairs already and she realized he was using the wind currents, rather than fighting them or letting the knock him over, just like using the currents in a sail. Annabeth felt like an idiot for not thinking of it first. By copying his technique, she was able to reach Hazel, Reyna, and Fai.

“What’s the plan?” she asked them.

Hazel held her arms tightly. Her skin prickled and her orange hair had white in it. Her ballgown offered little protection from the cold. “W-we’ve got to make him stop.”

“I suggest bringing him down to the ground somehow.” Reyna wiped the frosted flat of her sword along her coat. Annabeth, too, was worried her sword might get brittle in these temperatures, and mirrored Reyna’s actions.

“That guy’s got it,” Fai said, and pointed up to the balcony nearest the false prince.

Annabeth’s hand flew to her mouth. Percy had climbed all the way to the balcony as easily as one might climb the rigging in a ship. She wanted to shout at him to be careful, but she knew if he was caught, he’d be knocked to the floor and probably die from the impact, or at least be seriously hurt.

Percy jumped from the balcony and onto the false prince’s back. The wind died down, but did not completely stop, and the fake prince dropped a few feet.

Annabeth ran to help Percy, but someone grabbed her shoulder.

It was Luke.

While all the other guests were taking the small chance they had to flee, he stopped to grab her.

“I’m not going with you,” she snapped again. “I’m going to help.”

“What are you going to do?” He pointed at the mid-air fight. Percy was clinging to the prince and doing little else than being a nuisance. “How are you going to help?”

“I’m a fast thinker. I’ll figure something out.”

“Annabeth, be smart about this--”

Annabeth didn’t have time to argue further with Luke. The prince threw Percy off of him, and Percy hit the ground with a sharp crack.

Annabeth ran to him, slipping her way across the icy floor. She heard Luke right behind her.

“Percy, are you alright?” she asked desperately and Luke helped her turn him over. He wasn’t moving, but he was breathing.

“We have to run,” Luke said again. “I’ll carry him.”

Annabeth ignored him and looked at Hazel, Reyna, and Fai. She had to think of something to help them. But against an enemy who could remain airborne and control wind? She didn’t know what their options were.

“Come down and face me,” Reyna demanded, brandishing her sword.

Hazel looked like she was concentrating very hard, and Annabeth wondered what she was doing with her magic. Could she counter this boy’s powers somehow?

But if that’s what Hazel was doing, it didn’t seem to be working. The prince laughed at Reyna’s taunt and the winds grew stronger. Annabeth covered Percy, as he had done for her moments ago, and Luke shielded her as best as he could.

“Why would I come down? I can kill you all quite easily from up here.”

Annabeth felt something very sharp stab her leg. She looked down and saw a gash with a shard of ice sticking out of it. Luke had a few cuts on his shoulder, too, but not quite as deep.

“Now can we leave?” he asked through gritted teeth.

Annabeth shook her head, but she looked down and saw Percy’s lips were already turning blue. What use was she if she stayed? Maybe it would be better to get Percy out of harm’s way.

“You carry him out,” Annabeth said. “I have to help Hazel.”

Luke frowned. “I won’t leave you.”

Annabeth gritted her teeth. She couldn’t stand the way her heart was pulling her right now. She wanted so badly to let Luke save her, and she wanted so badly to save Percy. But she had a duty to avenge Thalia and find Piper. And she knew the only way to do that was to take down this prince.

Reyna pulled a knife from her belt and threw it at the fake prince with all her might. The wind carried it off course and it fell harmlessly at Annabeth’s feet.

“You are quite pathetic, no?” he laughed.

A piece of ice split the skin on Reyna’s cheek. She snarled fiercely. “You’re the pathetic one, coward! You kill with poison and stay where you can’t be reached because you’re afraid of what I’ll do if you come down!”

Reyna had to throw her hands over her face to shield it from a new onslaught of ice. She took a small step in front of Hazel to keep her protected, too.

Then, suddenly, the ice stopped, the wind vanished as if it had never existed.

Annabeth looked up and saw that the prince had an arrow sticking through his shoulder. He dropped to the floor suddenly.

Then, the Fai Zhang that had been standing beside Hazel and Reyna melted away. The real Fai stood on the balcony Percy had jumped from, with a bow in his hand. The bow and arrow melted with the rest of Hazel’s illusions, but the prince looked like the pain of the wound remained as he clutched his chest.

Reyna picked up her knife and put it to the fake prince’s throat. “Tell me where Princess Piper McLean is.”

“How should I know? I did not even know she was gone until you revealed your illusion tricks.”

Hazel asked, “You said you were promised a kingdom? By who?”

“You would like to know, but I fear her far more than I fear you,” he said, even as Reyna pressed her knife against his neck.

“Is she the one who told you to kill Thalia?” Reyna snarled. “Because then you should fear me, because I will kill her when I’m done with you if you don’t tell us everything you know.”

Annabeth and Luke helped Percy to his feet. Frank came down the steps and took a threatening position beside Reyna. It seemed to intimidate the fake prince, but he still refused to talk.

“You will get nothing from me. And there are many who serve her. Some are closer to you than you think. I don’t regret killing the Lieutenant! Circe will reward me and come for you, and her sister--”

Reyna shoved her dagger into his throat.

Annabeth almost dropped Percy in shock. “Reyna--”

Reyna pulled her knife out and the body fell to the floor. “He would tell us nothing,” she wiped the knife on his coat, “and he would have been executed for treason and murder. We couldn’t risk him recovering his power.”

Even though Reyna’s reasoning made sense, Annabeth couldn’t believe what had just happened. She felt a little sick at the idea that Reyna had just murdered someone in cold blood. A bad person, sure, but a person nonetheless.

“Reyna,” Hazel said slowly, “I understand you’re upset--”

“I’m fine.” Reyna sheathed her blade.

Hazel looked like she had more to say, but the clock suddenly struck midnight. The loud gong echoed through the heavy silence in the palace. Fai Zhang suddenly went pale.

“I--I have to go,” he stammered. He bowed hastily to Hazel. “Please excuse me, Princess. I’m glad you’re safe.”

And he ran.

Hazel ran after him. Annabeth would have run too, but she had Percy leaning on her arm. Color was returning to his face. She looked to Luke, who seemed to be staring thoughtfully at the body on the ground. She wondered what he was thinking. She wondered why he’d been so insistent on leaving. Luke didn’t strike her as a coward. Was it only concern for her that had urged him to leave?

She could think about Luke later. Right now she needed to make sure Percy was alright, and Reyna….

“Are you really alright?” Annabeth asked Reyna.

“I will be,” Reyna answered. She looked over Luke, Annabeth, and Percy. “We should send for someone to see to your injuries.”

“Yours too,” Annabeth said. “I think Percy needs a warm blanket, and maybe tea. I think being in close contact with the fake prince made the cold worse on him somehow.”

“Of course,” Reyna said. She led Annabeth and Luke down to the kitchens. Servants fixed hot tea for them, and brought everyone blankets. A medic arrived shortly to look over Percy and bandage everyone’s injuries.

Hazel returned to them just as the medic finished cleaning the cut on Reyna’s cheek. All in all, everyone was fine. At least, they were all going to live.

“What happened to Fai?” Annabeth asked.

Hazel looked puzzled for a moment. “Oh, he disappeared into a carriage. I sent the guard after him, but they couldn’t catch him.” She sat down with them and put a golden cufflink on the table. She twisted it for a moment, examining the detail. Annabeth thought it looked like any other cufflink she’d seen a soldier of the West wear. They were identical to Reyna’s, even. Which was odd, because Fai wasn’t from the West.

“What is it?” Annabeth asked.

“He dropped this,” Hazel said. “He told me he was a soldier, and I assumed….” She frowned. “I seem to have assumed wrong. I’ve done a lot of that tonight.” She rubbed her hands over her eyes wearily. “It seems we still need to find Piper. And find out what has happened to the real Jason Grace. I’m worried we haven’t avoided war yet.”

“I will send my troops out in search of Piper and the real Jason Grace,” Reyna said. She looked at Percy and asked, “Do you know where Piper would have gone?”

Percy hesitated, shoulders still shivering, and with shaky hands signed F-O-R-I-S-T.

Reyna left to give the order.

Hazel stood and insisted Percy be sent to bed, even though Percy shook his head. Annabeth got the impression that Percy didn’t want to leave her side, so she promised she’d stay with him. She and Luke walked him to one of the rooms in the palace.

“You should rest too, Luke,” she said and kissed his cheek.

“I will if you will,” he promised, and made no comments about her sitting at Percy’s bedside. He left for his own room, and Annabeth sat down in a comfortable chair beside Percy’s.

Percy looked determined to stay awake, and Annabeth couldn’t understand why. He tried to ask her questions, but she only shook her head.

“You need to rest,” she insisted.

He took one arm and made it level. With his other he mimed something falling or closing. The setting sun? Then he spelled L-A-S-T-N-I-T.

Annabeth took his hands into hers so he couldn’t say anything else. They were like ice, and she rubbed them to try to warm them. “We can still see each other,” she said. But Percy looked like he didn’t believe her.

“Just sleep,” she said.

And since he couldn’t protest with his hands in hers, he gave up and closed his eyes.

When she was sure he was out, she stood up. She should go to bed, but her suspicions about Luke’s intentions during that fight had only grown. She had some Iris messages to send home before she could rest.

\--- --- ---

Frank had simultaneously the best night and the worst night of his life.

He’d gotten his night off after all, which was better than he’d imagined. He’d even gotten to dance with the princess--twice.

Frank definitely liked her now. She was kind, and he felt bad she was being forced to get married. He would’ve liked to get to know her better, maybe go on a date or two. Of course, none of that would’ve been possible, impending marriage or no. She was a princess. She’d only danced with him because she thought he was some foreign dignitary, not a private in her own military who still had two years of service left.

Besides, he’d seen her kiss someone else at the ball. She clearly knew what she wanted, and it wasn’t Frank.

Still, she’d danced with him, and talked to him. He’d remember it forever. Maybe even tell his grandchildren one day about how he met the princess and saved her life. But no one would believe him, probably not even his grandkids. The night had been some sort of strange dream, where Frank was a hero. That wasn’t what Frank felt like as he ran out of the castle, like the ringing midnight bells were gunshots.

That was the point where everything went wrong. Challenging Octavian, fighting a monster and a blizzard--none of that had ruined Frank’s night. Running away at midnight? It was the start of a horrible chain of events.

With hasty apologies, Frank ran out of the castle. His grandmother’s carriage was waiting at the steps. As soon as he was inside, the horses bolted. The door slammed shut from the motion.

“I told you to leave before midnight,” his grandmother snapped at him.

“I was a little busy saving the kingdom,” Frank snapped back. He never would’ve talked back to his grandmother before, but he couldn’t imagine she was scolding him after everything he’d just done. Then he nearly threw up as the carriage took a sharp turn.

“You should have done it quicker,” she said.

“Sure. Next time I face a wind-blizzard-sorcerer-spirit-thing, I’ll make sure to bring it down faster.”

His grandmother sniffed, but didn’t scold him for talking back. “If you were going to be back late, you might have at least waited around for her to propose.”

Frank shook his head. He didn’t want to explain to his grandmother that the princess really wasn’t in love with him. He found, oddly, that it hurt to think about.

The carriage stopped suddenly. Frank was thrown forward, and smashed his face into the seat in front of him. His grandmother didn’t even flinch.

“You have a few minutes,” his grandmother said. “The guards searching the Eastern Princess and the missing Prince of the West have delayed your troop’s return.”

Frank stepped out of the carriage. “Did we just blow through security checkpoints to reach the barracks on time?”

“Of course we did. Now hurry up. I doubt we’ll see each other again, Fai Zhang. So know that your destiny is not over. Let that give you hope in your coming trials. And trim your hair. It’s gotten far too long.”

Frank wished he could at least kiss his grandmother goodbye, but the carriage door slammed shut and she was gone. He ran into the camp and hurriedly changed out of the family robes and into his work clothes. His head was spinning with his grandmother’s words. He didn’t even notice the missing cufflink until he was half-undressed. He’d have to find a replacement before they presented arms for General Reyna tomorrow. Maybe he could steal an extra from Octavian’s office before the troops came back. 

But then he heard commotion outside and knew his time was up. He hastily shoved his clothes into his trunk and threw his purple t-shirt over his head. He didn’t have time to put his pants on, so he crawled under his covers and pretended to be asleep.

He’d barely closed his eyes when the doors burst open and Frank’s troop entered, loudly discussing the details of the evening.

Frank’s bunkmate, Dakota, woke him immediately.

“You’ll never believe everything that happened tonight!” he shouted as he shook their bunk.

Frank nearly fell off his bunk just from the miniature earthquake. He faked grogginess--easy when Dakota had disoriented him so much. “What? Are you all back already?”

“A blizzard in July!” he heard someone say.

“Do you think the Eastern Lieutenant was really assassinated?” someone else asked.

“Maybe we’ll see some action, finally!” another shouted.

Frank sincerely hoped not. The princess hadn’t seemed too keen on war when he’d spoken with her. Maybe with the threat taken care of, their countries could resolve the situation peacefully, without pointing fingers at each other.

“Did you get to dance with the princess?” someone asked. Frank didn’t know who they were talking to, certainly not him, but he tensed anyway.

“I saw her kiss some guy in an Eastern Navy uniform,” someone else answered.

“Octavian won’t like that,” Dakota laughed. A few others laughed with him, but nervously. Dakota’s reckless attitude towards Octavian wasn’t one widely shared among the troops. Most of them feared him, like Frank. Dakota, however, seemed impervious to Octavian’s threats. Whether it was self-confidence or foolishness, Frank had never quite figured out.

The boys continued to chatter about the evening, and Frank, quite exhausted from climbing stairs against wind currents, found it easy to drift off even to the sound of their loud voices. Except Dakota kept shaking him awake to tell him something else. Apparently Dakota had met a lovely girl named Drew, and he was excited to court her.

“What happened to Gwen?” Frank asked. Gwen was a private in another troop that Dakota had been close with these last few years.

Dakota only shrugged his shoulders. “I don’t know. Ask Gwen.”

Frank said nothing. He wasn’t surprised. Gwen and Dakota could go quickly from being best friends to not speaking. It had taught Frank two things about relationships: Firstly, he wanted to be in a relationship with his best friend, because it seemed natural and easy. Secondly, he wanted to tell the person he liked that he liked them, instead of dancing around the subject forever and irritating each other, waiting for the other person to confess. Frank was going to be straightforward about it.

After Dakota had waxed on about Drew for what felt like hours, Frank apologized and insisted he needed to sleep. Dakota found someone else to talk to about Drew. Though that didn’t help Frank sleep, because apparently, that guy had also talked to Drew. Before Frank could even roll over and close his eyes, the rest of the troop was circling up beside his bed and shouting encouragement to fight. Frank was pretty sure some punches were landed, but he pulled his pillow over his head and tried to shut it out.

Then the doors burst open.

“What is going on in here?” Octavian shouted.

The troops scattered to their bunk. Dakota and his competitor for Drew’s heart stood. Dakota looked like he’d taken the worst of it, lips red with blood and eye swollen. The other guy’s nose was a little crooked, but Frank wasn’t sure if that was new or if it always looked like that.

“You should all be in bed,” Octavian snapped. “General Reyna will be here at 0800 hours sharp, and I find you gossiping like Eastern Princesses and brawling like Eastern soldiers. Get to bed, now.”

“Permission to speak, Sir,” Dakota said with a lopsided grin. He completely ignored the trickle of blood coming from the corner of his mouth.

“Permission denied,” Octavian said sharply.

Dakota continued anyway. “If you’re getting arrested for treason in the morning, do we still have to follow orders tonight?”

Octavian’s face turned as purple as his uniform. “I said to bed. No one is getting arrested for treason.”

Frank pulled the covers over his head and someone turned out the lights. The bed creaked as Dakota climbed onto the top bunk. He heard Dakota spit blood out onto the floor and Frank was surprised that it didn’t annoy him as much as it usually did. Probably because Frank wasn’t the one who had actually scrubbed the floor.

He fell asleep easily, and dreamed he was dancing with the princess on unpredictable winds. But despite the chaos around them, the princess was steady, and so was Frank.

He woke up at dawn, feeling sore and groggy. He rolled out of bed with a groan and reached for his boots. He instinctively began polishing them, and tried to sort through what had happened last night and what had been a dream. It all felt like a dream.

But as he dressed in his uniform and realized his cufflink was missing, it came back to him. It hadn’t been a dream at all. He’d truly danced with the princess. He’d actually defended her. And he’d stood up to Octavian.

The rest of the soldiers were only just getting out of bed when Octavian strode into the room, fully dressed. He was flanked by two soldiers from another troop. Frank didn’t know their names, but the shorter one had a look in his eyes that terrified Frank, like he enjoyed combat for the sake of destruction.

“Frank Zhang,” he said.

Frank straightened and saluted.

Octavian didn’t look impressed. In fact, he looked exhausted. There were bags under his eyes and he smelled faintly of the ocean. Frank wondered if he’d gone after the Captain of the Eastern Navy that the Princess had kissed last night. Frank hoped Octavian wasn’t so far gone that he’d stoop to assassination. But Octavian could be unpredictably cruel, like not defending the princess last night.

“Join me in my office,” he said sharply.

Frank tried very hard not to look nervous as he followed Octavian out of the barracks. He glanced at Dakota, hoping for at least a witness, but Dakota was still bleary-eyed, and struggling to get untangled from his bed sheets.

When they reached Octavian’s office, the guards stayed outside the door, leaving Frank alone with his captain.

Octavian sat behind his desk. Frank stayed standing.

“Last night at the palace,” Octavian began slowly, “someone impersonated the Prince of the West and threatened to kill the Princess of the West.” He paused, as if waiting for Frank’s reaction.

“That’s awful,” Frank said. “Is the princess alright?”

“She is now. The imposter was killed by General Reyna.” Octavian looked very closely at Frank. “However, the general was aided by a man from the lands beyond the East, and the Princess wishes to reward him by offering her hand in marriage.”

Frank barely managed to keep his face steady. If Octavian had recognized him last night, Octavian would have said so then. All he had to do was pretend he hadn’t been there, and Octavian would have no grounds to accuse him. Except, Octavian could search his trunk and find his family uniform. Frank might be able to insist it had been planted there by someone else in the camp. He wondered if that would be a believable argument. Probably, if Octavian wasn’t out to get him.

“I’m sorry you won’t be the one to marry her,” Frank said. “I was really looking forward to being your best man.”

Octavian scowled. “When did you start talking back to your commanding officer?”

Frank quickly apologized. It had just sort of slipped out. He felt unusually confident after last night. He quickly put that confidence in check before it could get him into more trouble.

“I don’t understand why you’re telling me this, Sir,” he said.

Octavian templed his fingers beneath his chin. “The mysterious man from last night dropped a golden cufflink. It was unusual, because it was the cufflink of a Western soldier. What would a foreign soldier be doing with a Western officer’s cufflinks?”

Frank bit back a retort about the purpose of cufflinks and said, “I can’t say I know, Sir.”

“You’re missing a cufflink, Zhang.”

“Are you asking or telling?”

Octavian stood and shouted, “Were you at the palace last night? Did you attack the false prince?”

Frank could confess, but confessing would probably mean a death sentence. Octavian could easily have lied about the princess’s offer of marriage. Frank wouldn’t take the bait. “Captain, I don’t know how I could have cleaned the barracks so thoroughly and found time to do all that.”

Octavian’s nostrils flared. “I’ve half a mind to drop you in the ocean and let Circe deal with you. But she’s busy with other matters, so it falls to me. Frank Zhang, you’re under arrest for deserting, impersonation of an office outside your rank, and for threatening a commanding officer.”

The arrest part Frank had seen coming. The ocean part concerned Frank. “Who is Circe?”

“Don’t worry. You won’t have the chance to meet her. You’ll be dead long before she comes here.”

Frank reached for the sword on his belt. “The fake prince mentioned being rewarded by Circe. That’s why you sided with him and not the princess last night. You were in league with him.”

“Those are outlandish accusations,” Octavian said. “I can’t imagine how you’d even begin to prove them.”

Frank drew his sword, but Octavian had already reached the door.

“What will you do, Frank Zhang?” Octavian said, hand on the door handle. “Stab me in my own quarters with my guards outside? You wouldn’t make it five feet before someone cut you down. I’ll be back after we’ve presented to General Reyna and deal with you then.”

Octavian left and Frank heard the lock click. Frank banged his shoulder against the door, but it didn’t budge. He heard Octavian telling the soldiers to stay there and guard it. Frank pounded his fist on the door and tried to shout to the soldiers that the princess was in danger, that they had to listen to him. But they didn’t. And he shouted until his voice went hoarse.


	12. The Third Sunrise

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Piper's gotten her prince. Now it's Hazel's turn. Slowly, all the villains in this plot are being revealed, and the end is coming,

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, funny story, I broke my keyboard. I feel like I've lost a limb and now I have to type on my touch-screen keyboard. Highlighting text is near impossible and it took like 15 minutes just to copy this fic over. Now that I'm done complaining, yes we are nearing the end! I hope you enjoy.

Hazel couldn’t sleep. She’d tried. She’d laid in bed for at least an hour, but her mind was wide awake.

She’d only just laid down when she got the message from her father that she’d be expected to announce her marriage decision at dawn. But that wasn’t really what was bothering her.

She kept thinking about Sammy, or the boy who wasn’t Sammy. She couldn’t make up her mind. She would remember his face, and his voice, and she would be sure it was Sammy, but then doubt would creep in, and she’d tell herself she was being silly and that Sammy was dead. Then she’d start doubting her doubts.

She remembered what she’d said to Piper before the ball, that she’d give anything to see Sammy again. Well, she’d gotten her wish, and it was tearing her apart.

And on top of that, she kept thinking about the real Jason Grace. There was no way to know if he was truly alive. In fact, she was convinced he was dead. If he and Thalia were truly siblings, and they really had been cursed as children, then it was likely Jason Grace had met the same fate.

Hazel decided that sitting in her room was doing nothing, so she got up to walk. If she wandered the castle, maybe Sammy would appear to her again. If he truly had been an apparition, surely he’d show up while she wandered the castle alone.

She asked a few of the guards if they’d heard anything, about Piper or Jason Grace, but they said there was nothing.

Then she passed the parlor they’d left Thalia in. No one had brought up moving her, or even what to do about the fact of her death. Hazel hadn’t wanted to push Annabeth to make a decision, especially not while Piper was still missing. She knew what it was like, to try to pretend someone wasn’t truly gone, that they’d show up out of nowhere and laugh and say they were fine. She’d spent years grieving Sammy, and there were still days she was surprised when a different groom brought her her horse.

Hazel wandered down to the stables, partially to see her horse, and partially because she thought if Sammy’s ghost were to appear, wouldn’t it be where he’d spent most of his time before the war?

But when Hazel got to the stable, her horse was missing. Her proud, beautiful stallion that she’d had since she was a little girl was gone. She checked the paddock and the surrounding fields. Arion was a free spirit, and the stablehands knew to let him out if he got unruly. But she didn’t see him anywhere.

The sun was starting to rise, and she wondered if she should find the morning groom and ask him where her horse was. But then she saw Arion coming out of the forest, with Sammy on his back--no, the boy who wasn’t Sammy. The boy she’d kissed at the ball, whether it was Sammy or not.

Arion came straight towards her, and then she saw that there were two more horses with him--Piper and Will were astride those. Hazel nearly burst into tears.

She ran to Piper first, and helped her off her horse. “I was so worried about you,” she said into Piper’s shoulder. Then she noticed the boy who had been riding behind Piper. He was tall, fair, with stormy blue eyes and a scar on his upper lip.

As he stepped down from the horse, Piper said, “Hazel, meet my fiance, Jason Grace, Prince of the West.”

Jason smiled and inclined his head politely. There was something strangely wild about him, but Hazel already liked him better than the last person who’d claimed to be the Prince of the West. And if Piper liked him, then she knew she could trust him.

She wasn’t quite ready to look at Sammy. If he was real, he’d still be there after she’d greeted Will. And if he wasn’t, then perhaps it was better to forget.

Will also had a guest with him. A small, slight boy, with shaggy dark hair. He looked weak. Will had to help him off the horse and carry him.

“I’m glad you’re alright,” Hazel said. “We were worried about you.” She tried to bring up Thalia, but she couldn’t seem to do it. She didn’t want Will to feel guilty, and Piper looked so happy with Jason, she thought it could wait until they were all inside.

Will nodded his head at her. “I need somewhere to look after him,” he said, and adjusted the boy in his arms.

Hazel nodded. “Of course.”

Finally, she could avoid it no longer. She looked at Sammy, who was handing off her horse to one of the groomsmen that had arrived to see what all the commotion was. Sammy would never give her horse to someone else. He took care of Arion, and no one else, not while Sammy had lived. Hazel’s heart sank into her stomach. So who was this boy?

She approached him and curtsied. “I’m afraid we weren’t properly introduced earlier,” she said. “I’m Hazel Levesque, Princess of the West.”

The boy reached up for his hair, as if he were wearing a cap, then realized he wasn’t. Instead of hiding his mistake, he pantomimed sweeping the imaginary cap off his head and bowed deeply. “Captain Leo Valdez, at your service,” he said with a grin. Then he frowned. “I’m not sure I’m a captain if my ship’s been shipwrecked though.”

Hazel’s heart jumped back up into her throat. He was so much like Sammy. She wanted to cry.

“Did I say something wrong?” he asked.

“No,” she said, careful not to choke on her words. “Let’s go inside and get everyone seen to. You all look like you have quite a story to tell.”

They went inside the castle, and Hazel took them to a parlor--not the one Thalia was in. She was still trying to decide how to tell Piper and Will what had happened to Thalia. Hazel sent a servant to find Annabeth and Reyna, and another to inform the guard that the Prince of the West and the Princess of the East had been found.

Will laid the boy on a couch. “Princess Hazel,” he said slowly, “this is Nico di Angelo--sorry, Prince Nico di Angelo, of the West.”

Hazel couldn’t hold back anymore tears. “My… brother? He’s alive?” She approached the sleeping boy slowly. He looked nothing like her. He was thin, pale, with straight black hair. He did look like Bianca di Angelo, though. A lot like Bianca.

“He’s alive for now,” Will said grimly. “I’m going to do everything I can to keep him that way.”

Hazel wiped her cheeks dry, but the tears kept coming. 

“He’ll be okay,” Piper said, and put a hand on Hazel’s shoulder.

Hazel nodded. She had to believe Piper. She was about to ask Piper what had happened to them--and what had happened to Piper’s dress, because it was stained, charred, and torn--but the doors to the parlor opened and Reyna and Annabeth walked in.

Annabeth ran to Piper and hugged her. “I’m so glad you’re safe!” Then she saw Leo Valdez. She let go of Piper and walked over to Leo. She punched him in the shoulder. “Where have you been? I thought you were dead.”

Leo winced and rubbed his arm. “Missed you too, Commodore. How come Piper gets a hug and I get punched?”

“Because I like Piper better,” Annabeth said, and she looked furious, but Hazel knew Annabeth was happy. Leo seemed to know it too, because he grinned at Annabeth and tipped his imaginary hat.

Reyna greeted Piper with an appropriately reserved handshake and bowed politely to Jason Grace. “A pleasure to meet you, Your Highness.”

Jason Grace looked a little dumbfounded, and nodded. “You too,” he said, which made Hazel giggle.

“Should we leave Will to work?” Reyna asked, once introductions were sorted.

“No,” Will said, without looking up from his patient. “Stay here. I want to hear everything. And as soon as I’m done looking over Nico, I’m looking over the rest of you.”

“I’m fine,” Annabeth protested.

“I saw the gash on your leg. It seems properly bandaged, but I’m taking a look at it myself.”

Hazel couldn’t help but smile. Will was very good at his job. “Then I suggest we sit down. And maybe Piper should start.”

Piper shook her head. “Let Leo start. His is far more interesting.”

They sat down, and Leo said, “Well, I pretty much already told you,” and he looked at Hazel.

Hazel was bewildered. “What? You told me we were in danger, and the prince was an imposter. Then you ran off. That was it.”

“Really?” Leo drummed his fingers against his chin, a gesture that was so twitchy, so unlike Sammy, it eased Hazel’s heart. “I guess I am turning into Calypso. My bad.” He relaxed into his chair a little, but his fingers still tapped on the armrests as he told his story of being shipwrecked and meeting the sorceress.

He showed them the mirror, told them about a prophecy that involved all of them--well, not Reyna, Will, or Nico, but the rest of them. He said there were two more, but he didn’t know their names. One was the boy Hazel had danced with at the ball. Leo promised he’d recognize the last one on sight.

Leo paused when he got to the part about finding Piper. He said he didn’t know how she’d ended up in the floor of a cottage, so Piper explained her journey, and how she’d met Jason in the woods on their hunting trip.

Then Jason explained that he’d been raised by wolves, and he told them what Lupa had told him. That he was the Prince of the West, engaged to the Princess of the East in order to keep peace, and he’d been kept in hiding because he and his sister were cursed. Then he told them he’d been captured by a sorceress, knocked out and taken to her tower. He’d watched Nico resurrect a ghost out of a pile of bones, and the ghost had stabbed him. He also assured them it wasn’t Nico’s fault.

Then Piper took over again, and told them how she’d left the ball, met a sorceress in the woods, been saved by Leo, and then slayed a dragon. She tried to downplay it, like she had gotten lucky, but Leo wouldn’t let her. He went on about how she challenged the dragon and stabbed it in the heart and everything. Then he told them about climbing the tower and finding Nico at the top.

Will took over after that, now that he was sure Nico was stable, and he started to check Piper for broken bones. He told them how Piper had saved Jason with her magic, and he told them Nico’s part in it.

Then Leo finished with their short, safe trip back through the woods. Will checked Jason, Leo, and then Annabeth.

“You seem to have had quite an adventure here, without us,” Will said as he unbandaged Annabeth’s leg.

Hazel, Reyna, and Annabeth exchanged uneasy glances. The feeling of victory that Leo, Jason, and Piper had brought into the room vanished and Piper suddenly looked concerned.

“Where’s Thalia? And Percy?” she asked suddenly. “Oh, gods…”

Hazel was about to explain, but Reyna did it instead.

“Thalia was poisoned,” Reyna said, “most likely by the imposter.” She looked like she wanted to say more, but she pressed her lips tightly together and looked away from the group.

Hazel jumped in to give Reyna a chance to compose herself. “There wasn’t anything we could do for her. She…” Hazel was almost too weary to cry. She’d experienced such a wide range of emotion tonight--er, last night and now this morning--that she wasn’t sure what was left in her. But it didn’t make Thalia’s death any easier to announce. “She’s in the other room,” was all she could manage.

Piper choked on a sob and covered her mouth with her hands. “Why Thalia?” she managed. “Why would he have poisoned her?”

“Because Thalia knew he was an imposter,” Annabeth explained. “She recognized him because she’s Jason’s sister.”

Jason looked startled, and Hazel explained everything they knew. Then she told them about the prince, and the fight. She told them how Percy was hurt, and assured Piper that he was alright now. She told them how they’d fought him: Reyna as a distraction, Hazel, using her illusions to hide Frank Zhang as he moved to fire an arrow to take the imposter down. Then she briefly mentioned that Reyna killed him.

“I want to see Percy,” Piper said. “And Thalia.”

“You don’t have to--” Annabeth said, but she was cut off by a shimmer in the air in front of her. Leo and and Jason both tensed, but Annabeth put her hand up. “It’s just an Iris message. It’s fine. I made some calls back home and asked someone to look into something for me.” She waved her hand to accept the message.

Hazel couldn’t see who was on the other side of the rainbow, but she guessed it was someone important. At least, they sounded official.

“We found gold by the tons,” the person said. “We’ve taken Connor and Travis Stoll into custody. They’re claiming they know nothing, that their brother had been in charge of the operation. I don’t think I believe them, Ma’am.”

“Thank you. I’ll take care of things on this end.” And Annabeth ended the call.

“What was that?” Piper asked.

Annabeth looked both angry and heartbroken, but she hid the latter well. “The false prince, he said something about the sorceresses having many servants close to us. I sent some soldiers back home to investigate Luke’s lighthouse on a hunch. It turns out he and his brothers have been using the lighthouse to actually lure ships into the rocks, then plunder the wrecks. I don’t know if this makes him in league with Circe, but either way I have to arrest him.” She paused and cleared her throat. “I don’t know how to investigate Percy’s past any further, but given the timing of his arrival, I don’t think we should trust him, either.”

“I trust Percy,” Piper said fiercely. “It sounds to me like he risked his life to save you, Reyna, and Hazel.”

“What if it was just a trick?” Annabeth asked.

Before Piper could protest, the clock chimed seven in the morning, and Reyna stood.

“I’m due at the military camp shortly,” Reyna said. “And Princess Hazel, I believe you have a formal announcement to make.”

Hazel nodded. She had thought she would choose Sammy--or, the boy who wasn’t Sammy--but the more she watched him fidget, the less she saw Sammy in him, and the more she craved something stable. Her mind kept drifting back to the young soldier from the lands beyond the East. Or, as she suspected, from her own military. She decided if she had to marry, she wouldn’t mind if it was him, as long as he didn’t mind if it was her.

“I’d like to go with you,” Hazel said. “After I announce my engagement to the young man who saved our lives last night.”

Reyna nodded. Whether it was an approval of Hazel accompanying her, or an approval of the engagement, Hazel wasn’t sure. Maybe it was both.

“I’ll see to it rooms are made up for you all,” Hazel said to Leo, Piper, Will, and Jason. “You look like you could use some rest.”

“I’d like to see Percy and Thalia,” Piper insisted stubbornly.

“You need sleep,” Will said. “I need to check on Percy. And I’d like to look over Thalia as well. I’m sorry I wasn’t here when it happened.”

“You get some rest too,” Hazel said to Annabeth. “You look like you haven’t slept all night.”

“So do you,” Annabeth said with a weary smile, but her heartbreak was difficult to hide. Hazel knew it too well.

Hazel hugged Annabeth. “It’ll be okay,” she said.

Annabeth didn’t look like she believed Hazel but she nodded anyway.

Hazel asked a few servants to make sure all of her guests had a place to sleep, and then went to get breakfast for herself and Reyna. She had dishes sent up to everyone’s rooms, in case they wanted to eat as well.

She sent out her formal announcement, and then she and Reyna were off to see the soldiers. Hazel couldn’t help feeling a little nervous. She supposed it was possible that Fai Zhang didn’t want to marry her. She wouldn’t force him. But of everyone she had met at the ball last night, he had been honest and kind, and he’d defended her when no other soldiers would. She couldn’t imagine better qualifications for a husband who would have to become a king.

Reyna and Hazel were met by Clarisse La Rue, Commander of the Eastern military, who was helping train some of the Western troops as part of their alliance.

“General Reyna,” she said, and inclined her head. “Princess Hazel.”

Reyna returned the bow. “Commander Clarisse.”

“Is it true that Lieutenant Thalia is dead?” Clarisse asked.

Hazel bit the inside of her cheek. She could barely manage to nod, but Reyna said, in a voice thick as steel, “Unfortunately. The assassin has been taken care of, though.”

Clarisse frowned. “So we won’t be going to war then?”

“No,” Hazel answered. “Princess Piper is still set to marry the Prince of the West tonight, and the assassin held no allegiance to either of our nations. Princess Piper and I feel it is more important than ever that our peace be maintained as we discover just how deep the plot goes.”

Clarisse hesitated, like she was weighing Hazel’s words, then finally said, “When you do discover it, let me know so I can get my turn to avenge her.”

Hazel let out a breath of relief she didn’t realize she had been holding. Everyone in command was on the same page. Good. At least, in the middle of everything that had happened, they’d managed to avoid war.

Clarisse took her and Reyna to the mess hall, where the troops were just finishing breakfast. Reyna and Hazel politely declined the offer of a meal.

At exactly eight am, there was a loud horn, and the troops assembled. They looked impressive in their purple and gold uniforms, buttons and boots perfectly polished. They were in perfectly neat rows, perfect squares in each troop with their commander in the front. Hazel saw Octavian in the first row. She knew she had the power to execute him for his actions last night, but she had no desire to. He’d simply made the wrong choice. She couldn’t fault him for not knowing the prince last night had been an imposter.

But when his eyes met hers, a shiver ran down her spine. She had the odd feeling that he wished she had died last night.

She quickly looked elsewhere, but she didn’t see the boy she had danced with last night. None of these troops were the man she wanted to marry.

She stood at the front with Clarisse, until Reyna had finished her inspection. Reyna and Clarisse shook hands, and Clarisse dismissed the troops.

“Not one had a missing cufflink,” Reyna whispered to Hazel. “I’m sorry. I didn’t see him at all.”

Hazel frowned and looked at each of the troops as they walked to the training grounds. Then she saw Octavian slip away, in a different direction.

“Come on,” she said to Reyna and Clarisse. “I want to see what he’s up to.”

Clarisse frowned. “Good. I don’t like him. I hope it’s an excuse to arrest him.”

Hazel couldn’t help but smile as they followed Octavian. She liked Clarisse, even if she was a little quicker to fight than Reyna, but she thought they made a nice pair, the way Reyna and Thalia had.

Octavian walked quickly to his office, which was guarded by two soldiers who must’ve missed the presentation of arms. Hazel thought it odd for Octavian to leave officers guarding an empty office. Unless it wasn’t empty.

She was about to approach the guards when there were shouts from inside the office. Hazel, Reyna, and Clarisse rushed forward.

Reyna pounded on the door. “Octavian! Open this door!”

There was a loud thud and the door flew open. Octavian looked horribly disheveled. “General,” he said desperately, “this private was waiting for me on my return. He tried to attack me.”

Hazel gasped and covered her mouth with her hands. On the floor of Octavian’s office was the young man she was intent on marrying. “Is he alright?” she asked.

“Alright?” Octavian shrieked. “I’m the one who was attacked!”

Clarisse laughed. “So, should we fire the guards out here for letting someone into your office without your permission?”

Reyna looked like she wanted to laugh as well, but she had only a strained smile to give. “I believe there is more information to be had here.”

Hazel pushed her way past Octavian and went to Frank’s side. He had a swelling lump on the side of his head. It looked like he’d hit the corner of Octavian’s desk, but there was little blood. He was already stirring and trying to sit up. Hazel took his hands and noticed the missing cufflink.

He got to his feet and seemed to recognize her as she helped him stand. “Princess--” he looked shocked to see her, and then looked at Octavian quickly. “Princess, he’s in league with the imposter from last night! He mentioned Circe--you’re not safe here.”

Reyna stepped forward and disarmed Octavian with little effort.

Octavian struggled. “You can’t believe what he says! He just tried to assassinate me!”

Frank rubbed the bruise on the side of his head and winced. “You locked me in here because--” He paused, like he was trying to work out the reasoning. “You said Circe asked you to kill me. You needed to get close to the princess.”

“Liar!” Octavian shouted back.

“Octavian,” Reyna said in a cold voice, “you are under arrest for treason, conspiracy to commit murder, and assault on a fellow officer.”

“Let me do the paperwork,” Clarisse said with an amused glint in her eyes. “It will give me a lot of pleasure.”

“You, enjoying paperwork?” Reyna said with raised eyebrows.

“To lock up this rat? If he was involved in Thalia’s murder? Yeah, I’ll enjoy writing that report.” Clarisse took Octavian from Reyna and led him away.

Hazel took Frank’s hands again. “I don’t know if anyone told you,” she said, “but, if you’ll have me, I’d like to have you as my husband. It’s a big responsibility, and I understand if you don’t want to, but I--I trust you.” She glanced up at him briefly, then back at the his hands and the missing cufflink. She took the gold button from her pocket and carefully pinned it on his cuff.

“You mean it?” he said slowly. “I thought… I thought Octavian was lying when he told me.”

“I mean it,” Hazel said, and managed to meet his eyes. He wasn’t Sammy, not at all, but Hazel thought if she had to love someone, loving Frank would be easy, and she could trust him with her wealth and power, maybe even more than she could trust Sammy.

“I--” Frank seemed to stammer and his ears turned red. “I would be honored.”

Hazel stood on her tiptoes and kissed his cheek. She looked at Reyna, who was watching them with an approving smile, but with a sadness in her eyes. Hazel reached out for Reyna’s hand and squeezed it gently.

“Everything’s going to be okay,” Hazel said. “Piper and I are happy, and no one is going to war.”

Reyna nodded. “I’ll see to it everything is ready for your wedding. You, however, should rest as soon as we get back to the castle.”

“I promise,” Hazel said.


	13. The Wedding

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Piper, Jason, Frank, and Hazel's actual wedding is uneventful, but the before and after is kind of crazy.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> here's all that theyna i promised with a side of percabeth and a sprinkling of solangelo.

When Percy woke up, his hand felt strangely cold. He flexed his fingers and remembered that he’d fallen asleep holding Annabeth’s hand. He decided he didn’t want to open his eyes and see that she was gone, so he chose not to move, and instead drifted in and out of dreams.

They weren’t very pleasant dreams. Most of them were full of him grasping for Annabeth but finding her just out of reach. He drowned in a few of them, which was strange, because he didn’t have a lot of context for the sensation of drowning. He remembered when he’d first become human, how he’d nearly suffocated before swimming to the surface. It was a lot like that, but it hurt worse.

He finally woke for real at the sound of Piper’s voice. He thought it was another dream, but when he actually managed to get his eyes open, Piper and Will were standing over his bed. Annabeth stood halfway between the bed and the door. That... hurt.

“I’m here to look over you,” Will said and helped Percy sit up.

Piper sat down in the chair Annabeth had vacated, eyes brimming with a story.

Percy had so many questions for the both of them, he wasn’t sure where to start. Luckily, he didn’t have to. While Will checked him for broken bones and changed the bandages on his legs, Piper launched into the story of how she’d met Jason Grace, and everything she’d done to find him again. He was glad to see her finally excited about her wedding, and he was glad everything had worked out for her. 

Then she told him she’d heard about Thalia, and she was sad, but she thanked Percy for everything he’d done for Thalia. Percy didn’t know what he’d done--he’d been pretty useless--but he accepted Piper’s gratitude anyway.

“I don’t see any broken bones, and your legs are healing nicely,” Will said. “Do you hurt anywhere?”

Percy shook his head. He spelled K-O-L-D.

Annabeth, standing near the door, corrected his spelling. Percy couldn’t help but feel a little hurt. She hadn’t corrected his spelling in over a day. It wasn’t that he thought he was spelling everything correctly, it was just that he was happy they could communicate without her bothering to fix everything he said. Apparently, something had changed. He felt a little sad, but he’d also realized last night that there was no way he could have Annabeth. She wanted Luke, not him. Or, even if she did want him, there wasn’t time for her to decide. He’d been foolish to think three days was enough time to fall in love with anyone.

But Piper seemed happy in her love. Percy wished he knew what her secret was.

“You should probably stay in bed,” Will said. 

“Just until the wedding,” Piper added. “I won’t get married without you there.”

Percy glanced out the window. It was still early morning. He didn’t want to spend his last day in bed. He didn’t even know if he’d be able to go to Piper’s wedding. He looked to Annabeth, but she was staring out the window. He didn’t know if she was thinking about something or just intentionally not looking at him.

“Everyone’s on bedrest until the wedding,” Will said. “You need to get a few hours of sleep or you’ll pass out in the middle of your vows,” he said to Piper.

“I think I’ll wait for Hazel and Reyna to come back,” Annabeth said, without taking her eyes from the window.

“You will not,” he said. “You were up all night and I won’t have you getting sick from exhaustion.” Will took Piper’s hand and Annabeth’s arm. “Bed, now, all of you.” He turned to Percy and said, “I’ll make sure some hot broth is sent up. That should warm you up inside.”

“Send him a bottle of vodka,” Piper grumbled, but Percy could tell she was being stubborn just to be stubborn. She looked exhausted. She’d said something about fighting a dragon. Percy didn’t know what a dragon was, but he assumed it had been quite a task, especially based on what she’d done to her dress. She deserved a good nap.

Percy, though, despite his nightmares, didn’t feel tired at all. He just felt heavy somehow, like maybe being on land had grown too exhausting, as if his body was rejecting the spell that made him human. Whatever it was, his heart hurt, and he really wished it would stop.

He got out of bed and his legs sparked with pain as he stood. He winced but kept walking.

He didn’t know where he was going. He wondered if he should just go back to the ocean now, since defeat was inevitable, but Piper really wanted him at her wedding. He didn’t think he should abandon Piper, so Percy decided at the least he should say goodbye to Thalia.

Thalia had protected him, trusted him with her secrets, and guarded his. He wished he’d been able to save her somehow. But he was pretty useless. He hadn’t even been able to avenge her properly. He had a vague memory of Reyna taking care of that.

Percy pushed the door open to the parlor Thalia was in. He was surprised to find Reyna, sitting on the floor beside the couch Thalia rested on, with tear-streaked cheeks. She didn’t look like she was crying, exactly, but she looked like water had just dripped from her eyes. They weren’t red or puffy or anything, and she wasn’t sobbing, not like Annabeth had. It was more like her emotions were withdrawn, private even to herself, and this small bit of expression was a brief image of her grief, but it was all she allowed herself.

Percy was embarrassed to intrude upon such a private moment. He hastily spelled B-A-K, and made the sign for “when.”

Reyna wiped one hand across her dark cheeks. “Princess Hazel and I just returned. She’s setting up a room for her fiance, and I have things to see to before the weddings but I… I wanted to say goodbye.”

Percy nodded. He turned to leave, to let her be alone, but Reyna said, “Wait--”

He hesitated at the door, but she motioned for him to come closer and sit, so he did.

“I owe you an apology,” she said. “I didn’t trust you when we first met, purely on the grounds of where you came from. But the way you defended Thalia last night--you risked your life to help someone you hadn’t known very long, because she and her friends helped you. That kind of loyalty is hard to find. I am sorry it took me so long to recognize it.”

Percy was a little stunned. He didn’t know how Reyna knew where he was from, so he asked “how?” by putting curled hands together and twisting them against each other.

“I’ve run into your….” Reyna cleared her throat. “My home and the people of the sea have not had a good history. My sister and I barely managed to escape one of the many battles in which our people fought. I knew what the white scars on your neck were instantly, and you smell strongly of the ocean. The magic that allows you to be here is one I am rather familiar with. But it was wrong of me to judge you for that. It’s clear you have a good heart, and you care about those who help you.”

Percy nodded. He wasn’t sure what to say to that. “Thanks” didn’t quite seem appropriate.

Reyna didn’t seem to mind that he had nothing to say. She turned her gaze back to Thalia, and Percy noticed her hand was strangely close to where Thalia’s were folded over her chest. Percy wanted to tell Reyna it wasn’t her fault, that Reyna couldn’t have known the apple was poisoned when she gave it to Thalia, but Reyna wasn’t looking at him, so saying anything would have been useless.

Percy thought about what Thalia had told him the day before she died, that she was cursed to die after she turned sixteen, but she wasn’t supposed to ever turn sixteen. Unless she fell in love. Could it have happened that quickly? 

It had for him. And it had for Piper.

“She doesn’t even feel cold,” Reyna whispered. She closed her hand around Thalia’s and looked like she was trying very hard not to cry again. “It seems unfair. She was a soldier. If she were to die young it should have been in battle. Instead she was killed by a coward who couldn’t face her.”

“She died because of a curse.”

Percy nearly jumped out of his skin. He hadn’t heard anyone come into the room, but now he turned and saw a complete stranger. It was a small, scrawny boy with messy dark hair. He looked like he’d just woken up from a nap, but the sort of nap that only made you more tired.

Reyna quickly stood and bowed. “Prince Nico di Angelo,” she said, “it’s a pleasure to meet you properly. I am General Reyna. My military is at yours, Prince Jason’s, and Princess Hazel’s command.”

The boy looked intimidated by Reyna’s introduction. Then he sized up Percy. His stare made Percy uncomfortable.

“This is Percy,” Reyna said. “He doesn’t speak. Percy, this is the prince that Will brought back last night, along with Princess Piper, Captain Leo Valdez, and Prince Jason Grace.”

Ah, so this was the kid that Piper said she found hidden in a tower. Percy didn’t know anything about the West, other than they didn’t get along with the sea and his father, but from what he’d seen these last few days, they seemed to have the worst luck with their princes. It was good to know that they’d all managed to come home safely last night.

Nico looked back a Reyna. “I woke up and heard voices. I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to interrupt. It was just… I could feel the magic weighing on her. My sister Hazel and I have similar abilities.” The word “sister” seemed hard for him to say, and Percy remembered something about a Princess of the West dying in the war.

“It’s alright,” Reyna said. “We should probably leave her. I have other duties to attend to.”

Percy held the door for Nico and Reyna. Reyna lingered a moment by Thalia’s side, then leaned down, and kissed her lips. Percy could tell she was blinking back tears as she walked out of the parlor. Percy closed the door behind them.

He and Nico followed Reyna, neither of them with any better place to be. Reyna didn’t take much notice of them, not until she realized they’d followed her all the way out of the palace. She looked surprised to see them, and uncomfortable with the needy way they looked at her.

“Percy, why don’t you take Nico to get some food? He must be hungry, and I should be finished securing the boat by the time you’re done,” she suggested.

Percy looked at Nico. The boy certainly did look like he frequently missed meals. He nodded to Reyna and motioned for Nico to follow him.

Nico seemed reluctant, but followed Percy inside anyway. Percy took him down to the kitchens, where the servants were more than happy to fix them a meal. Percy was just glad it was something warm.

“Why can’t you talk?” Nico asked suddenly as he poked at the food on his plate.

Percy wasn’t sure how to answer. He wasn’t sure if Nico could understand him, even if he knew how to say everything he wanted to say. He thought for a moment, trying to think of a brief way to explain.

Then he got an idea. He switched Nico’s glass of water with his glass.

Nico watched the exchange then looked up at Percy. “A trade?”

Percy nodded.

“You traded speaking? For what?”

Percy used two fingers to mime someone walking across the table.

“For the ability to walk?”

It was a close enough truth. Percy nodded.

Nico tapped his fork against his plate. He’d taken maybe two bites of his food. Percy was nearly done eating.

“Reyna didn’t say you were a prince. Are you in the army with her?”

Percy shook his head.

“How do you know her?”

That was a far more complicated question than Percy felt capable of answering. Luckily, he was saved by Will.

Will’s hair was flattened on one side, clearly the side he’d slept on. The other side stuck out. He looked like a scarecrow that had been poorly stuffed. “There you are,” he said with an exasperated sigh. “How are you feeling?”

“Fine,” Nico said.

Will didn’t accept that answer. He sat down next to Nico and checked his pupils and the reflexes in his hands. “You seem alright. You need to eat more.”

“I’m not that hungry.”

“You don’t have an appetite,” Will corrected. “That’s not the same thing. Your body needs to eat.”

Nico stared sourly at Will, and when Will stared right back, he turned his gaze on the full plate in front of him.

Percy wondered just how long the staring contest between Nico and his lunch could go when there was a scream upstairs. 

Will quickly ran towards the sound and Percy followed. They found the source of the scream in a nearby hallway: a servant, because she saw Thalia Grace, walking the corridor.

Thalia stood, one hand on the wall for support, looking a lot like she’d come back from the dead. Her gaze was distant, her skin pale, and she looked up at Will and Percy like she was going to drag them back to death with her. Percy took a step back in terror, but Will rushed forward and helped steady her.

“You should sit,” he said quickly and snapped at a servant for a chair.

“What happened?” she asked in a weak voice. “I feel like… like…”

“Like you died.”

Percy jumped at Nico’s voice behind him. That boy needed a bell or something to announce his presence.

Thalia looked at Nico and nodded. “Is that what happened?”

“That’s certainly what we thought,” Will said. “Now hold still and let me check your throat.”

Percy watched, not sure what to do. He couldn’t believe Thalia was alive. He’d just seen her body and it had looked as dead as anything Percy had seen before. Reyna had touched her. He remembered Reyna’s comment about Thalia still feeling warm. And he remembered Piper’s story about how she’d saved Jason.

If Thalia and Jason had shared the same curse, perhaps they shared the same cure.

“Percy,” Will said, “go wake Princess Hazel, Princess Piper, and Annabeth. Prince Nico--go finish your lunch.”

Percy didn’t wait around to hear Nico argue with Will. He ran straight for Annabeth’s room. He knocked, then pushed the door open. She was asleep in the bed, but she looked tense, even in her sleep. Percy wished he could help her, but he knew he wasn’t very useful to Annabeth. He wasn’t what she needed or what she wanted.

He shook her shoulder gently. She opened her eyes with a start and her hand went under her pillow, then she saw who it was.

“Percy? What are you doing here?”

T-H-A-L-I-A.

“What about her?” Annabeth sat up and rubbed her eyes. “Has something happened?”

U-L-I-V.

Annabeth stared at him. “Uh-Leeve?” She was apparently still groggy.

Percy tried again. 

“Alive? Thalia’s alive?”

Percy nodded and Annabeth threw back the covers.

P-I-P-E-R, he spelled.

Annabeth hesitated. “Yes. Let’s tell her and Hazel first. And Leo will want to know. Does Will know?”

He nodded and together they ran for Piper’s room.

Eventually, they all assembled in the parlor they’d left Thalia in, but this time Thalia was sitting up and Will was giving her a cup of warm tea. He had one ready for everybody, for the shock, he said.

Piper sat next to Thalia, as if she couldn’t believe Thalia was truly there and needed to stay next to her for fear she’d vanish. Hazel had a chair near Nico, and Annabeth stood. Then there was Leo, who Percy hadn’t met yet, but he understood that Leo was friends with Piper, Thalia, and Annabeth. He also guessed this was the guy who had helped Piper face the dragon. All reasons Percy liked Leo, but he was a little confused by the strange looks Leo kept giving him.

“I don’t understand how I came back, if I really died,” Thalia said. She took a sip of the tea.

Nico held the mug, and looked better for the warmth, but he didn’t drink from it. “I think it was like Piper and Jason. You were cursed to die. True love’s kiss will break any curse.”

Percy remembered what Circe had told him. It wasn’t just that a kiss would make his transformation permanent. It would break the spell his father used to keep him in the ocean, a spell even Circe couldn’t fully break. The way she’d said it, it was like her temporary spell would lose power over him, and her claim on his soul would be null because of true love. He glanced briefly at Annabeth, who was staring so intently at Thalia, Percy worried something was wrong.

Leo laughed. “Thalia? True love’s kiss? What, was it like, her sword or something?”

Thalia glared at him. “If I were well enough to stand I’d like to see you kiss my sword.”

“It was Reyna,” Nico said, and a strange hush fell over the room.

Thalia’s cheeks went pink.

So Percy’s hunch, that Thalia had died because she’d fallen in love, had been correct. He just hadn’t guessed it was with Reyna, and he hadn’t known Reyna had fallen in love with Thalia, but of course it must have happened. He knew from first-hand experience the curse-breaking-kisses didn’t work if they were one-sided.

Hazel looked surprised. “Reyna? But she--I never would’ve thought--” Hazel didn’t finish, but Percy understood. Reyna may have been reserved with her feelings, but it didn’t mean she didn’t have them. It also explained why she had so swiftly executed that imposter. 

Thalia thumbed at the edge of her tea cup. “Where is Reyna?”

“She has to make sure that everything is ready for the ceremony tonight,” Hazel said. “We should send word to her, so she doesn’t faint from shock when she sees you.”

Percy didn’t think Reyna was the type to faint from shock, but he did agree that sending word ahead was a good idea.

“You’re still getting married?” Thalia said. “Even though I was dead?”

“I would’ve stopped it,” Hazel insisted, “but my father--and Piper found the Prince of the West--”

Thalia looked at Piper in surprise. “The real prince? You found Jason Grace?”

Piper nodded.

Thalia turned to Will. “Can I see him? Please, let me see him.”

“We can send for him,” Will said, “but I don’t want you going anywhere. Not even to the wedding.”

Thalia scowled at Will, and Percy had a feeling Thalia would go to the wedding no matter what Will said.

“Oh, no,” Hazel said and put her hands over her mouth. “Jason can’t come here! He can’t see Piper before the wedding. And I can’t see Frank.”

“Why don’t you go get ready,” Annabeth said, “and we can let Thalia see Jason alone.”

Piper groaned. “I already saw Jason this morning. What does it matter if I want to see him again?”

“It’s tradition,” Hazel said and stood. “I promise you’ll love your wedding dress. Just--please, don’t tear it or burn it this time.”

Piper reluctantly got to her feet and followed Hazel to prepare for the wedding.

Annabeth stood as well. “I’ll send Jason here and then go help them get ready. Percy--”

Percy’s whole world brightened about thirteen shades when she said his name. He knew she could tell, because her cheeks turned pink suddenly, and she stumbled over what she’d intended to say.

“Could you--I mean, would you--Just make sure Jason, Nico and Frank are ready?”

“Nico isn’t going,” Will said. “He and Thalia both need to rest.”

Annabeth sighed. “Nico’s a prince. He has to be there.”

“I feel fine,” Nico said. “And I won’t miss my sister’s wedding. I missed everything else in her life, but I won’t miss this.”

Percy was startled by the fierce determination in Nico’s voice. If anyone was a match for Will’s stubborn care, it was definitely Nico.

“Fine,” Will sighed, “but I will help you get ready, and I’m staying with you the entire time. Your body is exhausted and I won’t let you over exert it.”

“Then it’s settled,” Annabeth said, “Percy and Leo can help the grooms get ready. And meet us down at the ship.”

“The ship?” Leo said. “They’re getting married on a boat?”

Annabeth nodded. “Neutral waters for a neutral wedding.”

“Okay, so last night, when I said we still had to fight a water witch, what part of that said, ‘Sure guys! Let’s have a wedding in the ocean!’” Leo raised an eyebrow at Annabeth and folded his arms over his chest.

Percy didn’t know what Leo was talking about, but he knew that there was definitely a water witch in the ocean. Only, as far as Percy knew, she was dangerous to him, not his friends. Did Leo know about Percy’s curse somehow?

Annabeth sighed. “I know, Leo, but you also said that if all seven of us were together, we’d be able to stand up to the sorceresses. And so far, we’ve managed without being all together. We’ll at least have six there.”

Leo pointed at Percy. “He’s the seventh.”

“Even better,” Annabeth said, but there was a strange lilt in her voice. Percy wondered if she was upset about him being in some sort of prophecy. Had he done something to make her mad? He couldn’t think what it might be.

Leo ran a hand over his forehead and back through his dark curly hair. “You’re the boss, Commodore, but seriously, we need to be careful. I’m not feeling too peachy about all our royal highnesses going out to the middle of the ocean.”

“We’ve defeated two already,” Annabeth said firmly. “It’s important that Piper and Jason marry in neutral territory.”

“You don’t think maybe that’s her plan?” Leo said, but when it was clear Annabeth wasn’t going to budge, he shook his head. “Alright. I’ll go make this Frank kid look spiffy for his wedding. And make sure he’s got a lifejacket or two tucked under his suit.”

Percy wasn’t sure if he should follow Leo or Annabeth. Annabeth seemed intent on ignoring him still, so he went after Leo.

As they walked to Frank’s room Leo said, “So I know I just met you, but what did you do to piss Annabeth off?”

Percy’s heart sank. It wasn’t his imagination after all. Annabeth really was upset with him. He had no clue why, so he only shrugged his shoulders.

“If it’s serious, she’ll tell you. Or she’ll tell Piper, who will find a nice way to tell you. If it’s not serious, she’ll get over it in a day or two. Trust me, I’ve pissed her off loads of times.”

This made Percy laugh, even though it was a soundless laugh. He could see why, if Leo was a friend of Piper’s, Piper had taken to him so quickly. 

But even if Annabeth got over her anger in a day or two, it wouldn’t mean anything to Percy.

Frank was in his room, apparently still examining all the detail in the furniture. He told them he’d had a sparse bunk for the last eight years and wasn’t sure he’d ever get used to living in a palace. Leo laughed and told him he’d happily trade places. Frank didn’t seem to find it as funny as Leo did, probably because Leo had already kissed Hazel.

In the time it took Leo to show Frank all the parts of the writing desk, Jason had come to the room to get ready as well. He didn’t say anything about his meeting with Thalia, or how he felt about having a sister all of a sudden, but only asked Leo to show him what he would be wearing.

Percy didn’t know why Annabeth had sent him to help Frank and Jason get ready. Frank and Leo knew exactly what they were doing. They were both military, and were familiar with all the buttons and loops and cords. It was Jason, who had been raised by wolves, and Percy, who had been raised with fish, who needed help with the formal wear. He felt pretty sure that Annabeth just really didn’t want to see him.

Percy had been ready to leave when he thought Annabeth was happy without him. Now he was afraid to leave because she seemed unhappy with him. He wanted to make it up to her, and he was afraid that, even if he did leave, she would still be mad at him, and he would never know why.

By the time all four boys were dressed in the appropriate attire, the sky was a pale orange. Whether Annabeth was mad at him or not, Percy only had a few hours left with her.

As soon as a servant told them the girls were all on board the ship, the four boys left the castle.

That was where they found Reyna, standing at the boarding plank. She nodded in approval at the boys.

“You all clean up quite well,” she said.

Percy was about to tell her that Thalia was alive, when someone shouted at Reyna. It was Thalia, running across the docks to Reyna. Apparently, she was feeling much better.

Percy looked at Reyna, ready to soften the shock, but Reyna looked as impassive as always. It was only in her voice as she said, “Thalia--”

Reyna stepped past Jason and met Thalia halfway across the dock. Percy expected a hug or a kiss or something intimate, but they stopped a foot away from each other.

“I’m glad you’re alive,” Reyna said.

“No thanks to you,” Thalia said, but she was grinning as she said it. “I’m never eating an apple again.”

“Or wearing a corset?”

“That was a given,” Thalia laughed. “You saved my life three times now.”

“And I killed you once,” Reyna said sadly. “I’m sorry.”

Thalia shook her head. “I still owe you two, then. Though I guess I’m fired from my job now.” She smiled, then leaned forward and kissed Reyna’s cheek. It was an oddly shy gesture for Thalia, who Percy had only known as brash and bold.

And Reyna, reserved and controlled, kissed Thalia on the lips in the passionate sort of kiss Percy only dreamed about sharing with Annabeth.

Leo whooped and whistled. Percy laughed and wished he could do the same. He was as happy for Thalia as he had been for Piper. It seemed like everyone was getting their happily ever after, except him.

Percy tried not to feel bitter about it. He just needed to know Annabeth would be happy, he reminded himself. Whatever came after that didn’t matter.

They all boarded the ship. Reyna told them that Will, Nico, and the girls had already arrived. Thalia said she’d ran off as soon as Will was gone, so she was going to stay as far away from him as she could for as long as the wedding went on.

The ship went out to sea, and Percy leaned against the railing to watch his last glimpse of shore fade away with the setting sun. He’d never see land again. He tried not to think too hard about that.

As the horizon faded, wedding guests started to fill the deck. Percy recognized a few of them from the ball last night, even that redhead girl who’d asked him to dance. But he didn’t want to talk to any of them. He glanced back at the setting sun and felt like his heart was sinking with it.

The band began to play. Percy turned to watch the new princes lead in their princesses. Hazel held onto Frank’s arm; Jason held onto Piper’s. 

Percy had never seen a surface-wedding, but it didn’t seem all that different from the ones he’d been to. Although, this wedding had two officiates--Annabeth and Reyna. They really were going all out, making sure Piper’s wedding was the very definition of neutrality. After all the work that had gone into avoiding a war, Percy didn’t blame them.

The ceremony itself was short, which was good, because he wanted a chance to say goodbye to Annabeth. Each bride and groom said their vows, and Reyna and Annabeth pronounced their marriage in unison. Percy wondered when they’d found time to practice that.

After the vows, as Reyna slipped off to a corner where Thalia was hiding from Will, Percy went right for Annabeth. He waited while Annabeth congratulated the happy couples. He tried to meet her eyes, but he was pretty sure she was still avoiding him. Then Piper whispered something in Annabeth’s ear and Annabeth reluctantly motioned for him to follow her to the portside railing. There weren’t many others over there. It was a quiet space, which Percy thought odd, because they didn’t really need silence to talk.

But there was something more intimate about being isolated. And in the light of the setting sun, Annabeth looked far more beautiful than he’d ever seen her before. She was wearing her Commodore uniform, as she had at the ball, but the way the wind caught her hair, and the way her steel-gray eyes looked next to the ocean made Percy’s heart turn somersaults in his chest.

“Are you feeling better?” she asked. There was something cautious in her voice. Percy didn’t understand why.

He nodded, then pointed to Annabeth and spelled O-K-A; he made it a question.

“I’m fine,” she said, and leaned against the railing next to him.

Percy asked, L-U-K-E?

Annabeth’s face darkened. Apparently that was the wrong question. “Luke won’t be here.”

Percy started to wonder if she was mad at him or if this whole time she’d been mad at Luke, and was taking it out on him. That made a little more sense. He also didn’t blame her for it. He just wished it didn’t have to end this way for them.

“I’m sorry,” Annabeth said. “It’s not your fault, and I should stop acting like it is. I just didn’t know how to trust you. You’re so….”

Percy had no idea what word she was searching for. He was a lot of things, but untrustworthy wasn’t one of them. People only ever distrusted him for what he was--whether it was half-human, or half-fish--but never once they knew who he was.

“Piper told me I should give you another chance,” Annabeth said. “That just because Luke turned out to be a thief and a liar didn’t mean that you would too. I know she’s right, but it’s hard to feel that way. It’s hard to feel much of anything sometimes, much less listen to my feelings. Like right now,” Annabeth laughed, but it wasn’t really a happy laugh, “my head is telling me I’m stupid for saying any of this to you, and gods, I just wish you could say something and stop me, because I really shouldn’t be talking about all this when--”

Percy would’ve leaned in and kissed her right then. It was the only thing he could have done to interrupt her and he was so sure that this kiss, if any kiss would work, would’ve been the one. But as he took her face in his hand and leaned in to kiss her, a searing pain shot through his legs. He collapsed onto the deck of the ship.

“Percy!” he heard her scream, but her voice was distant through the pain. He managed to look up and see the horizon, glowing faintly orange from a freshly set sun. It was over for him.

It started in his stomach and moved down through his legs, a searing heat, like he was being thrust into boiling water. He heard fabric tearing and when the pain subsided, he was left with his glistening tail, blue scales stiff and dry, and the scrapes, nearly healed, still running up his sides.

Then his throat burned and it felt like someone was slicing his neck open. He doubled over in pain and he thought he heard Will next to him, and was that Thalia’s voice? Or Reyna’s?

But none of it mattered. Because there was still one more part of the deal he’d made with Circe that had yet to be completed. She still owned his soul.

It felt like seaweed gripped his wrists and his tail, dragging him over the railing of the ship. He held onto the wood beams, and then he felt a hand grabbing his wrist. He caught a glimpse of Annabeth, desperately trying to pull him back onto the deck before he fell into the water.


	14. Into the Sea

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Piper faced a dragon. Reyna faced a wind spirit. Hazel faced a military captain. It's time for Annabeth to face her enemy.

Annabeth couldn’t breathe.

She stared down into the water where Percy had vanished in complete shock. She’d just been trying to tell him how she felt and he’d gone and… turned into a fish? He’d looked like he was in pain. He’d looked terrified.

She grabbed a rope that was used for tying down cargo and began to fasten it to one of the holds on the railing. She tied the other end around her waist.

Before she could jump off, someone put a hand on her arm. “Annabeth, don’t--” It was Reyna.

“Someone has to go after him,” she insisted. “We can’t just leave him!”

Reyna shook her head. “He came from the sea. It’s where he belongs.”

“No,” Annabeth said sharply. Her head was spinning. She remembered all the times Percy had gotten frustrated, trying to tell her where he was from. She remembered what he said about his father, and how he had told her he didn’t want to go home--couldn’t go home. She remembered how desperate he had looked last night, how he’d told her sadly he was leaving, and he just wanted to stay with her. “He didn’t want to go,” she said to Reyna. “Something took him. We have to help him.”

Annabeth tried to breathe, but her lungs still weren’t working the way she wanted them to. Suddenly Will was next to her, thumbing small circles on her spine, but it didn't relax her at all.

She turned to him for help--Will, who had searched a forest on a hunch that someone was hurt. She knew he would side with her.

“We have to help, if we can,” Will agreed, “but Annabeth, none of us can breathe under water.”

Annabeth was having trouble breathing anyway. She looked for Piper and Thalia. She didn’t see Thalia, but she saw Piper and Jason across the deck, laughing at something Leo must’ve said, because he was right there too.

Then Piper’s eyes met Annabeth’s and it was like the world stopped for Piper. She whispered something to Jason and ran to Annabeth, long wedding skirt be damned.

“What happened?” Piper said, and took Annabeth’s hands.

“Percy,” Annabeth said. Her voice sounded strange and foreign to her. “Something took him.”

Piper looked over at Leo and Jason, then at Hazel, who was politely greeting some of Frank’s fellow soldiers.

“I have an idea,” Piper said. She untied the rope around Annabeth’s waist and shouted for Hazel.

Hazel must’ve seen the panic on Annabeth’s face, because she came running over. “Gods, what’s happened?”

“Percy--he was taken--over the side of the ship.”

“Percy is from the sea,” Reyna said. “Whatever spell was keeping him on land simply wore off.”

“No,” Annabeth insisted again. She felt as angry as she had when she blamed Reyna for Thalia’s death. She nearly drew her sword, but she restrained herself. “He’s in trouble. I know he is.”

Reyna didn’t not look convinced. Piper, however, didn’t need anymore explanation. She announced her plan confidently.

“Hazel can make us breathe underwater.”

Hazel looked shocked. “I can?”

“Sure. You told me what you did with Frank, how you were able to not only shield his movements, but also gave him a bow and arrow that functioned in real life.”

Hazel chewed her bottom lip. “I don’t know if my magic is that strong. What if you get too far away from me, or I mess up somehow?”

“It’ll be fine,” Piper said, and immediately began to strip out of her wedding dress.

Hazel squeaked, probably more at Piper’s indecency than the plan. “I don’t think I--”

Annabeth removed her coat and handed it to Reyna. “Tell Leo what’s happening. If he can have a boat ready to hoist us up immediately, just in case it gets rough--”

“I’ll stay here,” Will promised, “and be ready the moment you need me.”

Reyna shook her head. “I don’t know that it’s as bad as you think it is, Annabeth, but if it is, remember Jason and Thalia. True love’s kiss will break any curse.”

Annabeth bit down on the inside of her cheek. She didn’t know if she truly loved Percy. Those were strong words for an emotion she knew very little about, and trusted even less for her ignorance. She also remembered how Percy had kissed her twice. Perhaps he had been trying to break a curse all along, and it hadn’t worked. She wondered if it would work now, or if it would never work at all.

Piper was stripped to her thin white slip, and seemed to have no shame about it. Annabeth was down to her undershirt and breeches. She kept her sword tied to her waist. It might weigh her down and be unwieldy in the ocean, but she wouldn’t go unarmed.

Hazel stared at them as they sat on the railing, and chewed on her lower lip. “I don’t know how to do this.”

“Yes you do,” Piper said encouragingly. Her voice built up enough confidence even in Annabeth. “Just imagine us breathing underwater and it will happen.”

Annabeth was pretty sure magic was a little more complicated than that, but Hazel closed her eyes and did as Piper had said. Then, Piper jumped into the water. Annabeth followed.

Annabeth was a little afraid to breathe in, but she opened her eyes and looked at Piper. She could see relatively clearly. She looked down and she still had her legs. She didn’t feel any different. She was worried it hadn’t work.

But then Piper looked at her and grinned. “It’s fine,” Piper said, and Annabeth could hear her as clearly as if they were on land.

Annabeth took in a breath and didn’t feel like she was drowning. Her body felt oddly weightless, and the cold didn’t seem to bother her. Hazel’s magic was doing a lot more than just allowing them to breathe. She was impressed.

“Down?” Annabeth suggested. The seafloor seemed like the place to start.

Piper went straight down. Annabeth followed.

Annabeth wasn’t sure how she could see this far down. Light shouldn’t reach through this much water, but it was as clear as day to her. There were plenty of fish, though they thinned out as the girls swam deeper. Then they reached the seafloor, and not far off in the distance was a castle.

It was constructed from golden coral and coated in mother-of-pearl. It was the most beautiful thing Annabeth had ever seen. People with tails like Percy swam in and out of the castle, and so did the rest of the sea life. Annabeth wondered how Percy could have ever left this place.

She and Piper swam forward towards the palace. Annabeth expected to get winded or exhausted, but she had plenty of oxygen thanks to Hazel’s magic.

A few of the merpeople looked at them strangely as they approached, but no one was outright hostile to them, not until they actually got to the castle. The guards crossed their spears and barred them entry.

“Surface dwellers are not allowed here,” one of them growled.

“We’re looking for a friend,” Piper said sweetly. “Perhaps you saw him?” 

Apparently, this was the wrong thing to say, because one of the guards jabbed his spear at Piper. “Witch, keep your magic out of this castle.”

Piper floated backwards. “I’m not a witch,” she said sharply.

“Your words are laced with magic,” the other guard growled in agreement.

“It’s alright,” Annabeth said, cutting in. “ We mean no harm. Please, I’m afraid our friend might be hurt. Blue tail, dark hair, green eyes. If you’ve seen him--”

“No one’s seen the prince since he left his father’s waters,” one guard said. “He’s a treacherous half--”

“Don’t speak like that,” the other scolded. “The prince is one of us and the king would be insulted to hear you say otherwise.”

“We’re not looking for the...” Annabeth began, but the guard’s words nagged at something in her brain. “How long did you say it’s been since the prince disappeared?”

“Almost four days now,” one grunted. “The King’s been searching the seas for him, but there’s nothing.”

That was about how long it had been since they met Percy.

Annabeth remembered what Percy had said about his mother and father. Dancing with his mother. His father was like the ocean. The guard had just called him half-something. Percy was part of two worlds. So Reyna had been only half-right.

Annabeth exchanged a glance with Piper, who looked as shocked to learn that Percy was a prince as Annabeth felt. Percy, rude, unmannered, and painfully honest with his emotions was a prince. He was worse at being royal than Piper was.

But where had Percy gone if he hadn’t returned here?

“You said he left his father’s waters,” Annabeth said. “Where is that?”

The guards both frowned. 

“Circe’s garden,” one said. He pointed, and shook his head. “But even for a surface dweller, it’s dangerous. You should return to your world and forget about this place.”

Annabeth exchanged a glance with Piper, who nodded.

“We’re going,” Annabeth said. “If our friend really is the same person as your prince, then I’d be ashamed if this was how my country treated their royalty.”

“The King of the Seas has no jurisdiction in Circe’s garden,” the other guard growled. “The prince went there of his own volition, knowing the risks. Or do surface-dwellers lock up their royalty and prevent them from making their own choices?”

The nicer guard, however, scolded his comrade. “Which is exactly what we were going to do to the prince if he hadn’t left. His father was going to keep him in the palace because he insisted on seeing a girl on the surface.”

Piper hummed thoughtfully, and Annabeth felt her ears grow warm.

“Come on.” She grabbed Piper’s hand and swam in the direction the guard had pointed.

When they were far enough away, Piper said, “So you fell in love with a prince after all.”

Annabeth glared at Piper. “I never said I was in love with him.”

“He gave up that life for you.”

“I don’t owe him anything for that.”

“No, but I think you do like him for it.”

Piper knew Annabeth all too well. It was flattering to hear someone had given up everything for her, but she also thought it foolish. Percy didn’t know her, certainly not when he’d come to the surface. All those times he’d tried to kiss her…. And then at some point, he’d given up. She tried to think when that was. Had he given up on winning her love and returned to the ocean? No. He’d been about to kiss her on the deck just moments ago, but he’d been interrupted. He’d known that he had a deadline. He’d tried to tell her, and she had realized it too late.

Annabeth knew that didn’t make it her responsibility to save him, but she desperately wanted to.

Piper and Annabeth reached a chasm in the seafloor. Annabeth wasn’t worried about crossing it, since swimming had proven so easy, but she noticed the marked difference in sea life on the other side. It seemed that most of the fish nearby avoided the chasm, and all coral ended at the chasm. On the other side grew nothing but bright red seaweed.

“This must be the border,” Annabeth said.

“Do you think Percy will be on the other side?”

“I don’t know where else to look.”

“That’s good enough for me,” Piper said. She took Annabeth’s hand, and together they crossed the trench.

The red seaweed reached up for Annabeth and Piper. Annabeth quickly pulled them up, out of its reach. Piper made a disgusted face and shouted at the seaweed to back off. It curled up on itself and let them pass unaccosted.

In the distance, Annabeth could see a cavern. It seemed like the only structure in the area. She swam towards it, but hesitated at its glowing red mouth. Annabeth wasn’t very good at listening to her heart, but right now her heart was screaming at her not to go inside this suspicious and dangerous cave.

Piper hesitated, too. “I don’t like this place.”

Annabeth chewed on her lower lip. “Wait here for me.”

“No.”

“If I don’t come back, you have to go back to the ship.”

“No.”

“You’re a princess, and you’re married now. If I led you to your death down here--”

“No,” Piper said, and Annabeth knew, charm-speak or not, she couldn’t deny her friend.

Then, in the light of the strange red glow, Annabeth saw the flick of a blue tail. She swam forward. 

“Percy?”

"Annabeth don't--" Piper called after her, but Annabeth didn't listen.

She was sure she saw him turn a corner into a different tunnel of the cave, so she followed.

“Wait!”

She turned another corner and saw him waiting in a dark tunnel. He motioned for her to follow him.

“No, come back with me.”

But he swam on ahead and Annabeth had no choice but to follow. He led her into a larger cavern, illuminated by a strange blue light. Annabeth couldn’t identify the light source, but she could clearly see Percy sitting on the floor of the cavern.

Annabeth realized suddenly that Piper was not behind her.

She started forward slowly, afraid to get much closer, “What is this place?”

He looked around, then shrugged his shoulders.

“Leave with me, please. I don’t think you’re safe here.”

There was something mischievous in his eyes that made her heart flutter while simultaneously scream at her to get out.

“Annabeth,” he said, and she felt like she’d swum straight into a coldspot.

“You can… speak?”

“Of course,” he grinned at her, then pointed up. “I want to show you something.”

Annabeth couldn’t see the roof of the cavern. She bit her lip and turned around, looking for Piper.

“It’s not safe in here,” Annabeth said. “We should leave.”

“It’s fine.” And he swam upwards. Annabeth had no choice but to follow.

They reached the roof of the cavern and Percy led her through a small opening that twisted and turned. Annabeth lost her sense of direction and wondered if she’d be able to find a way out. Or was Percy leading her to an exit? And where had Piper gone?

Finally, Percy stopped at the end of a tunnel. It opened into the open ocean--no walls or caves, but Annabeth gasped at what she saw on the ocean floor.

Hundreds of ships lay wrecked in the sand. A few were decorated with a golden SPQR, but most of them Annabeth recognized from her own Navy. She even saw the Argo, the ship she’d been wrecked on only days ago, balanced precariously on a rock column.

“Why did you want to show me this?” Annabeth asked.

“Because this is my handiwork.”

Annabeth might have stumbled if she’d been on land. “What are you talking about?”

“I controlled the storms over the ocean. I threw your ships against the rocks.”

Annabeth was having trouble making sense of Percy’s words. She tried to match what he was saying with everything that had happened these last few days and what she’d learned from Leo about the war.

“It wasn’t an accident that Luke found on that beach,” Percy continued. “He’s been helping me for a long time, and in exchange, I would wreck ships on his shores for him to plunder. He was supposed to frame Reyna or Hazel for your murder, but,” Percy sighed, “he actually fell for you. Then I had to step in and--”

“No,” Annabeth interrupted. She put her hand to her forehead. Even though the plot made sense to her, even though Percy being so madly in love with her as part of a ploy made more sense than his love being true, her heart told her otherwise.

“Where is Piper?” Annabeth demanded.

“She didn’t follow you.”

“Tell me where she is!” But Annabeth didn’t have Piper’s power with words, and Percy only laughed. He grabbed her arm and pulled her towards one of the shipwrecks.

Annabeth tried to pull away, but even though Hazel’s magic made her a strong swimmer, she wasn’t nearly as strong as Percy.

“Let me go--or take me to Piper.”

“Why, when I worked so hard to bring you here?”

“You’re not Percy!” she shouted and yanked her arm away.

Percy stopped, and the mischievous smile seemed tainted with confusion. “Is that who you see?” He swam a circle around her, as if he were examining her. “I’m surprised. I chose you of all the children in the prophecy because you were least likely to be swayed by love.”

“What are you talking about?”

“For the children we couldn’t kill, we arranged loveless lives, because love is the only thing to break curses. You would never trust your heart. Piper McLean would be forced into a loveless marriage. Percy Jackson, an outcast in two worlds, would never find someone to love him. My sister tried to take care of the rest--forcing Nico di Angelo and Jason Grace to grow up alone. Thalia Grace would die if she ever fell in love. Hazel Levesque would grow up longing for a love who died in the war. Frank Zhang would be kept from advancing in the military and never have the confidence to love. And she took Leo Valdez’s home, so he would never settle down in one place.”

Annabeth realized she wasn’t talking to Percy at all, just an illusion of him. This was the sorceress of the sea. She was suddenly angry with this woman, not just for everything she’d done to Annabeth and Annabeth’s friends, but for manipulating her now with Percy’s image.

“Well your plan failed miserably,” Annabeth said. Her anger burned in her chest like a fire that needed to spread. “Piper refused a loveless marriage and found Jason. She saved his life because she loved him and refused to let the war dictate her life. Hazel fell in love with a boy who loved peace. Even Thalia fell in love and overcame death. And I--I’ll find Percy. You can’t stop me.”

The sorceress’s image shifted. She became a woman in a blue, flowing dress, with her hair done up in gold. “Unfortunately, dear, I have stopped you. Percy belongs to me, and all I need to do is blame you for his death. You may have killed my sister and my pawns, but that only means more power for me. Once the King of the Seas sees his son’s body, he’ll destroy your ship, and the ocean and East and the West will tear each other apart in war.”

Annabeth unsheathed her sword. It was hard to swing it quickly in the water, but she didn’t care. She’d kill Circe, find Piper and Percy, and stop the fighting before it could start. She would not let another war tear her home apart.

Circe only laughed at Annabeth’s weapon. “That? Against a sorceress?”

Annabeth ran it through Circe’s stomach.

Circe’s face became one of pure rage. The water around Annabeth swirled and Annabeth felt the current throw her towards a shipwreck. She pulled her sword out of Circe’s chest as she hit the deck of a ship and fell through the rotted wood. Splinters dug into her back and arms, but she ignored the pain. She gripped her sword in both hands and kicked herself back up to where Circe was. The sorceress was waiting for Annabeth. She threw another current of water at Annabeth and Annabeth hit the mast.

Annabeth remembered their fight with Jason Grace’s impersonator. She remembered the way Percy had used the wind currents to get close to the imposter. She would have to do the same with Circe.

Annabeth cut across the stream and zigzagged back, like tacking in the wind, as Circe tried to blast her away. She got close enough to strike, but Circe grabbed her sword and with another current of water the sword was washed into the shipwreck.

Annabeth, unfazed, pulled a knife from behind her belt and thrust it into Circe’s heart.

The goddess shrieked and tried to claw Annabeth’s face off. Her nails dug into Annabeth’s cheeks and tore into her skin, but then suddenly she was gone. All that was left of her was her blue dress, floating aimlessly in water.

Annabeth felt out of breath, and she grabbed onto the edge of the rock tunnel for support. She wondered if she should look for Piper or try to find her way back to the castle. She refused to believe Percy was dead, but she had to try to stop the war if Circe had already put her plan into motion.

“Annabeth!”

She turned and saw Piper swimming towards her. Annabeth nearly cried in relief.

“Where were you?” she demanded as Piper grabbed her.

“Chasing you. Those tunnels are something else. Made me wish Hazel had come with. Are you alright? Your face--”

Annabeth nodded and told her about the fight with Circe. They had to find their way back to the palace before the King of the Seas destroyed their ship.

Piper looked at the tunnels grimly. “We can do it. I think I got a pretty good idea of how we got here.”

Annabeth wasn’t feeling so sure, but she trusted Piper. She let Piper lead her back into the tunnel and through the twists and turns. Piper hesitated at crossroads only twice, and eventually they were back in the large cavern Annabeth had first stopped in. The eerie blue light was gone, and Annabeth trusted only Piper’s instinct to find the exit.

Finally, they were back in the garden, but the red seaweed was now black, shriveled, and lying limp on the ocean floor.

“Good riddance,” Piper said as they swam towards the chasm and back to the palace.

On their way back to the palace, Annabeth prepared all the things she needed to say to the guards to convince them of what had happened. She wondered if they would believe her, or if they had already decided to kill her and Piper if they returned. But when they reached the palace, the guards were gone. Annabeth did not think this was a good sign.

“We have to talk to the king anyway,” Piper said. “So I guess we go in.”

Annabeth nodded, and together they swam into the palace.

The inside was more beautiful than the outside. The golden coral twisted into pillars and arches, decorated with abalone and oyster shells. Fish swam freely between the open spaces, adding rainbows of colors with their variety of scales. Annabeth would’ve loved to stop and admire, but she knew they had a job to do.

They found the throne room rather easily--it was where all the guards were clustered. One of the ones from the entrance pointed at Piper and shouted, “Witch!”

Both girls were grabbed and thrown into the throne room.

“We’re trying to help,” Annabeth protested.

Piper, probably for the best, said nothing.

A guard held each of them and presented them to the king.

Annabeth had built up a handful of images of the King of the Seas, based on legends and what Percy had told her, and she was surprised by his appearance. He was far younger than she imagined, and he truly looked like Percy, but older, in flowing white robes. He held a golden trident in one hand and his eyes were the color of the sea around them--the color of Percy’s eyes.

Annabeth might’ve kept staring, but something at the foot of the throne distracted her. She saw Percy’s body, lying limp on the floor of the palace.

She shouted and tried to pull away from the guards, but they held her back.

The King descended from his throne. He looked Annabeth in the eyes and she saw how pained he looked.

“You’re the girl, aren’t you?”

Annabeth didn’t know what he meant, but she heard something like a horse whinnying and water rushed past her face. But there weren’t horses in the ocean, were there?

She didn’t know how to answer his question, either. She was a girl, but what did he mean by the girl?

He returned to his throne. As he sat in it, she saw nothing of the power the Kings of the West exuded on their thrones. They sat in a posture that gave them power, but the King of the Sea sat on his throne like the weight of the world pressed on him, the combined force of the earth's oceans. His power came from his voice as he said, “Tell me why you are here.” Then he looked at Piper and said, “You may not speak in this palace.”

Piper glared at the king, but said nothing.

So Annabeth told the King her story. She told him how she’d found Percy and taken care of him. She told him how Percy had helped her friends. She told him that Percy had been taken from her ship and she’d come here to save him. Then she told him about her battle with Circe, and what Circe had said about starting a war. She promised him they hadn’t done this to Percy, that they wouldn’t have hurt him.

He listened without changing his face, and Annabeth definitely understood why Percy had described him as “the ocean.” It was everything Annabeth loved at the sea--constant, unchanging, but without making any promises. Annabeth hated broken promises. Circe really had gotten it right, her being the least likely to fall in love.

“I believe you,” the King said after Annabeth had finished her story. “I have worried Circe has been manipulating the seas outside her limits for many years. If my son made a deal with her to try to win your heart….” He sighed, like making impulsive deals with sea witches was something Percy did often. “I ask only one favor of you,” he said.

Annabeth guessed he wasn’t really asking.

“Take Percy to his mother and apologize for me. I swore to keep him safe and I have failed. She lives in the East, by the sea.”

Annabeth thought that sounded like an insurmountable task. There was so much coastline in the East. How could she find Percy’s mother? And how was it even her responsibility? But she knew she would do as the King asked, whether because he was the King of the Seas, or because she wanted to see this through.

Then, in the water in front of Annabeth, she saw something shimmer like a rainbow, but its curves were like that of a horse’s back. There really were horses in the water.

“The hippocampi will take you to her.”

Annabeth looked to Piper, who looked like she had a lot she wanted to say, and was asking Annabeth to say it for her. Annabeth wasn’t sure what Piper was asking.

“I’ll do as you ask,” Annabeth said to the king, “but let Piper return to our ship. She can tell them what’s happened here.”

“Very well,” and the King waved his hand.

“No!” Piper said, and there were instantly spears at her throat, but she didn’t stop. “Annabeth you can still--”

Then a guard clamped a hand over her mouth.

“Don’t hurt her!” Annabeth said. If anything happened to Piper, they would have to go to war. She’d only just barely pulled them out of that.

The King raised his hand. “Return her to her ship,” he said.

Before Annabeth could even breathe a sigh of relief, the currents swirled around her and she suddenly felt like she was riding a horse straight up to the surface. No wonder Percy had seemed so calm when they’d ridden horses into the forest. He’d been doing it underwater for years.

She got a last glimpse of Piper, being dragged upwards, but away from Annabeth. Then they were both carried out of the palace, through the ocean, and Annabeth could only hope Piper returned to their ship unharmed.

Annabeth didn’t know how long the horse carried her through the water, but finally, she was washed onto the shore by a strong wave, and when she turned over to breathe in real air again, Percy’s body was next to her.

Annabeth finally took the time to cry.

She sat in the surf for a while, with Percy, just crying, wishing she could have saved him somehow, until the tide came in and threatened to carry them both away.

She dried her eyes, which really only smeared sand all over her face, and scolded herself for crying about things she couldn’t change. She lifted Percy in her arms and carried him higher onto the beach.

She looked around the moonlit beach and saw a fisherman’s hut, with a boat pulled all the way up to its front and tied to the porch. There were no other houses in sight. She hoped that really was where Percy’s mother was. Or maybe she hoped that the Sea King had been wrong and she’d be unable to accomplish the task he’d given her.

Annabeth looked down at Percy and thought of how close they’d come to being together. He’d been about to kiss her when he was taken from her. What if she had kissed him first? What if she hadn’t wasted her time with words? What if she could take the last few hours back and do it over again? Would it have even mattered? How could she be in love when she didn't know what love was?

Tears started to rise in her chest again. Annabeth tried to fight them, but she only ended up choking. She wished desperately for a second chance to save him, to do over their first two kisses somehow. To actually kiss him on the ship, instead of wasting her time on words and hesitations and a fear of promises. She leaned down and kissed him, wishing, more than anything, that it mattered.

Beneath her, she felt Percy stir. She felt someone grab her hand, then her hair, and before Annabeth could even process that this wasn’t an illusion, that he was alive and he was human again, she and Percy were laughing and crying all at once.

“You were dead. You were dead,” she repeated, over and over, trying not to sob.

“I don’t know if I could die while you were still here,” Percy murmured and Annabeth was so startled to hear him speak she pulled away.

“Annabeth,” he said, with a stupid grin on his face, and even though it was the same voice Circe had used, it was so different. He said her name tenderly, like it was a magic spell he was afraid to use, and Annabeth’s heart tried to leap out of her chest.

She didn’t let it, and instead, kissed Percy again.

“But how?” she finally asked, when Percy had stopped kissing her to rest his head against the crook of her neck and shoulder.

“I promised Circe my voice and soul,” he said quietly, and took her hand in hers. His fingers explored hers as if he were trying to memorize every detail of her. Annabeth found it strange how natural this felt, sitting on the beach with him, despite everything that had happened. “If you kissed me, and you truly loved me, I guess it broke even my contract with her.”

“I suppose it helped that I killed her,” Annabeth said.

Percy looked up at her with adoring eyes. “You’re the most incredible girl I’ve ever met.”

Annabeth smiled. “I hope you don’t mean it, because your mother should be in that house over there.”

He looked like Annabeth had given him the moon. He leaned in and kissed her again, and Annabeth decided she never wanted this night to end.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> there's just the epilogue left, and i think it answers all questions, but if you have questions, you should ask them now so i can make sure i covered everything


	15. Epilogue

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The happily ever after gang makes one last trip.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm apologizing right now for the lack of solangelo. I honestly meant to write just one small piece for you guys at the end of this, but I ran out of time. It's been an exhausting week and I've been trying to finish my Prisoner of Azkaban rewrite before Christmas so I can have a holiday break to reread Goblet of Fire and life has been crazy on top of it and Star Wars is a thing so like I just am posting what I had with Leo so here you go, i hope you like it.

Leo sat at the expansive dining table. It wasn’t set for a ball, though. It wasn’t set for anyone. It was just an empty hall, and an empty table. He spun the seashell-shaped mirror like he might with a coin, until it clattered to the table, and he picked it up and spun it again.

A sudden knocking noise on the back of his chair startled him and he looked up to see Annabeth standing next to him.

“Alright, Captain?” she asked with a small smile.

Leo tipped the large chair back onto its rear legs. “Alright, Commodore. Do I have to salute?”

Annabeth laughed and sat down next to him.

“Where’s Percy?” he asked. Annabeth and Percy had been joined at the hip ever since they’d come back to the castle. Leo had spent a little time with them, but it was hard watching how easily they settled into each other’s space, and Leo felt less like Annabeth’s sidekick and more like her unwanted little brother.

“With Thalia. He’s helping get ready for Piper’s return. He’s quite excited to have her back.”

“That doesn’t bother you?”

“Not at all,” Annabeth said, and took the mirror from Leo’s hand. He instinctively grabbed for it, but when Annabeth raised her eyebrow, he cleared his throat and tried to pretend it wasn’t important.

“What about you?” Annabeth asked.

“What about me?”

“Piper and Hazel get back from their honeymoon today, Thalia just finished finalizing the details on transferring her service to the Western military to serve with Reyna, and…” She paused, as if looking for another couple to stab Leo in the heart with. “Oh, Will actually got Nico to go on a walk around the grounds of the castle with him yesterday. They seem to be good balances for each other.”

Leo rolled his eyes and snatched the seashell back from Annabeth. “So what about me then?”

“I thought you’d go back to the girl who gave you that shell.”

“Yeah, well,” Leo shifted in his chair, “I’m pretty sure she doesn’t want me around.”

“How do you know?”

“Because every time I ask it to show me the future, it shows her by herself. If I go, she’ll probably just kick me out. She only let me stay because of a storm. She probably just felt guilty, and I wish she wouldn’t but I don’t want to hurt her worse by sticking my face there and saying, ‘Hey, remember that kid who’s mom you helped kill? Wanna go on a date?’ Yeah, that’s gonna happen.”

Annabeth frowned at him. “You told me that the future doesn’t work so well on that, didn’t you?”

“She said it doesn’t show the future as easily as the present. But that doesn’t make it wrong.”

“Do you think it keeps showing her alone because you haven’t decided to go back?”

Leo had thought of that. And he should’ve known Annabeth would bring it up. They were problem solvers, analytical types. Even though she was way more serious than he was, they saw the world in the same way--problems and solutions. But right now, Leo was afraid of the solution because it was unknown. The problem? He could live with it. He’d been living with it his whole life. But the solution? Anything could happen.

“I don’t want to lose another home,” he said quietly, and glanced at Annabeth. “What we had, the Argo--that was the closest thing I had, and it’s gone.” He hoped he wasn’t making her uncomfortable. He didn’t want her to think he liked her or anything. But Annabeth was family to him, family he didn’t want to lose.

“We have the Argo II,” she said. “It’s nearly finished.”

Leo twirled the seashell again. “Yeah, but, Percy’s going to be your Captain, isn’t he?”

“Of course not. Percy’s my boyfriend, and he’s a talented sailor, but he’s not a soldier. He’s got other loyalties, loyalties we’re trying to keep peaceful. I don’t think making him captain of a military ship would be a good idea. Besides, I think he wants to spend time with his mom.”

Leo hadn’t thought about that. Percy being a prince of the sea was weird. The fact that people actually lived underwater still made him a little uncomfortable. He was always worried they’d poke holes in his ship for laughs.

“So, what, I leave and bring her back?”

Annabeth tapped her fingers on the table. “You’re worried about losing your family, but you needn’t be. We’re always going to be here, Leo, whether it’s a ship or this castle or Hazel’s castle, we are here. And we’re not going anywhere.”

But if Leo went to Calypso’s castle, could he come back here? Was he giving up one family on the risk of a new one?

And then, he had an idea.

“How do you think Piper and Hazel would feel about an extended honeymoon?” he asked with a grin.

\--- --- ---

Leo anchored the Argo II in the harbor and resisted the urge to dive off the side of the boat and swim to the shore. He went with his friends, the normal way, in a boat, but he couldn’t contain the combination of anxiety and excitement fighting for dominance in his chest. He drummed his fingers anxiously on the edge of the boat and even Piper didn’t tell him to relax.

When they arrived at the enormous island-palace, Leo told his friends to make themselves at home while he went up to the one place he wanted to be.

He found Calypso in her bedroom, which still hadn’t been put back together. He doubted his instincts for a minute. Maybe she did want to be left alone, sitting in the destruction, punishing herself for her mistakes.

She was waiting on the balcony, and out the window the Argo II was clearly visible, just offshore. She hadn’t come down to greet him. Leo almost stopped, almost turned around. But he didn’t.

He did, however, pause at the door to the balcony, and clear his throat.

She didn’t look at him, which Leo took as a bad sign.

“Why’d you come back?” she asked. “Didn’t the mirror show you what I did?”

“It showed me you, saving my life.”

She laughed, like that counted for nothing. “Leave me alone, please. Take your friends back. I don’t want them here.”

“That’s not true, is it?” Leo asked. He pulled the shell out of his pocket and started to turn it over in his hands, fidgeting as he spoke. “I was thinking, and the winds do as you want, right? This place is always ready for guests. You want friends. You’re just punishing yourself for what you did, but you don’t have to. Everything’s over. We won.”

Now she turned around, and Leo could see her tear-streaked cheeks. “How can you not see me as a monster for everything I’ve done?”

Leo laughed. “Because everything you’ve done for me? That’s not a monster. And believe me, I know monsters.” He thought about Pasiphae and her transformation. Even if Calypso could do that, he knew she wouldn’t, and that she shouldn’t treat herself this way because she’d made some mistakes.

Calypso took his hand and Leo felt a thrill run through his body, like sails suddenly full of wind.

“So, you’re going to come down to meet my family, right? The family I have because of what you did?”

Calypso laughed, Leo’s heart soared, and then she kissed him.

When she pulled away, Leo felt like every hair on his body was standing on end, in a good way, not a terrified way. “So, we could go downstairs,” he said, “or like, we could stay up here and--”

She playfully slapped his arm, took his hand, and together they walked downstairs to join Leo’s family.


End file.
